Emmilen
by Moghedien17
Summary: Snape discovers that not only does he have a niece, he also has to take care of her! What is Snape going to do with little Emmilen? And more importantly, can she break through his barriers? Thanks so much for RandiWeasley and redrosey for taking over thi
1. Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE  
  
All right, guys and gals, I decided that I wanted to try another fic. But never fear, I'm not giving up on Koraleigh, but any means. In fact, the next chapter of that should be up either today or tomorrow. Well, everyone review and tell me what you think of this, if you think I should continue. I'm not sure yet, but I don't expect this to be extremely long like "Koraleigh" is. Well, get reading, and don't forger to review. Oh, and also, I think I'm going to remove "Living Two Lives" and my original "Koraleigh" because I'm not updating on them. They're still on my computer so if people have objections, I suppose I can always put them back. All right. Now read!  
  
It had been a normal Thursday for Severus Snape. He had terrified a couple of Hufflepuff first years, taken off at least fifty houses points from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, and was now settling back in the peacefulness of his private chambers to grade fourth year Potions essays.  
  
The peacefulness did not last long. Snape jumped slightly as a voice came from the direction of his fireplace. "Severus! I need to speak with you immediately."  
  
Drat Dumbledore! Couldn't he leave him alone? But Snape knew better then to disobey. After all, it was the same man who had given him his life back, after his destructive attempt at becoming a Death Eater, the same one who had saved him from the terrors of Azkaban, the one who had offered him a job when he was positive no one would hire him. The man who had become more of a parental figure to Snape then the ones who actually fit the job description. For Dumbledore, Snape would do almost anything. Unfortunately, the old man knew that.  
  
Snape stopped mid-paper and walked over to his fireplace. He tossed in the required amount of floo powder, and within seconds was in Dumbledore's office.  
  
"You called, Headmaster?" he said mildly.  
  
"Yes. Severus, I need to speak with you about something." Dumbledore gestured with his left hand. Snape followed the gaze and noticed that there was a little girl, probably around five or six, sitting silently, staring at him.  
  
"Who is that?" Snape asked cautiously.  
  
"This, Severus, is Emmilen. She is your niece."  
  
Snape started violently. "I don't..." he began.  
  
"Emmilen, why don't you go see how Fawkes is doing?"  
  
"All right." replied Emmilen quietly as she dutifully ran over to the phoenix, whose cage had been moved to the other side of the room.  
  
"Yes, Severus, you do." said Dumbledore softly, in regard to the small, dark-haired girl talking quietly to the phoenix. "Your brother had his own reasons for not telling you about her. She has been living with her muggle grandmother, her mother's mother, for the past few years, ever since Kolus and Meina's deaths. But unfortunately, Emmilen's grandmother is unable to care for her anymore. Since you are her next closest relative..."  
  
"No!" said Snape sharply. "I cannot take care of a...of a child! while fulfilling my duties here. There must be someone else, Albus. I cannot do it."  
  
Dumbledore regarded Snape carefully. "I'm sorry, Severus. But there is no one else." He lowered his voice even more. "I have not told Emmilen yet, but last night, there was an attack on the remaining members of your family. I'm sorry Severus, to have to tell you this."  
  
Snape was in shock. Though he had not particularly liked his extended family, or any of his family, in fact, he, nevertheless, did not wish them dead.  
  
"As I said, Severus, now neither you nor little Emmilen have anyone else in the world, well, other then Emmilen's grandmother, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. Severus, you are all each other have left. She needs a home and you are the only one who can give her one."  
  
Snape gazed over at the little girl. She had dark brown hair and freckles dotted her cheeks. Now that he was looking for it, he could find bits of Kolus in her. Snape growled to himself. If only he could get that old feeling out his mind, of feeling like he didn't belong and wishing more then anything that he had a permanent home. Snape sighed. As much as he might regret it later, he couldn't, in full conscience, let someone else, much less his flesh and blood, go without a real home, to grow up as he had, without someone who loved him.  
  
"All right." said Snape finally. "As if I had any other choice."  
  
Dumbledore gave Snape the oddest look. "There is always another choice, Severus." he said quietly, almost too quietly to be understood.  
  
"Emmilen, could you come here a moment." asked Dumbledore, in a much louder voice.  
  
"Okay." replied Emmilen, hurrying over. She stopped a few paces in front of Dumbledore and looked at him inquiringly.  
  
"Emmilen, this is your uncle Severus. He is going to be taking care of you from now on."  
  
Emmilen gave Snape a small smile. "I'll be good." she pronounced.  
  
Snape gave a curt nod in acquiescence before turning back to Dumbledore.  
  
"Now, Severus, I will have the house elves fix up your spare bedroom for Emmilen as well as bring her things in."  
  
"All right." said Snape. "Come, Emmilen." He prepared to floo back to his chambers, but Dumbledore stopped him.  
  
"Don't you think it best if you walk back to the dungeons, give Emmilen a taste for the school? It will also give the house elves time to prepare Emmilen's rooms."  
  
More nonchalantly then Snape felt, he shrugged and started toward the actual exit. It wasn't until he had crossed the threshold into the entrance hall that he looked down at the little girl hurrying to keep up with his long stride that he wondered just what he had managed to get himself into.  
  
"Uncle Sev'rus? Is this really where you live?" asked Emmilen, looking around the hallway leading to his classroom, office, and living chambers.  
  
"Yes." replied Snape curtly. He really had been trying to be cordial to the girl, but after passing several groups of students, all who had made audible comments about Emmilen, he was feeling like there was nothing he needed more then to be alone in his rooms.  
  
"Will you play with me, Uncle Sev'rus?" asked Emmilen hopefully as they neared the doors leading to Snape's rooms.  
  
"Not tonight, Emmilen. It's past your bedtime." It wasn't really. It was barely seven thirty, yet Snape didn't think he could handle being a surrogate parent tonight.  
  
Emmilen pouted a bit as they entered Snape's rooms, but brightened as she took in all the sights. "Where's my room?" she asked curiously.  
  
"It's in here." replied Snape, hoping that the house elves were finished. He led the way in.  
  
"Wow!" said Emmilen breathlessly. "It's pretty."  
  
While Snape was loathe to call anything "pretty," he had to admit that the house elves had outdone themselves. The room was decorated all in pink and green, with butterfly images flying just above reach. The small cot that had been in the room before was gone, replaced by a large pink bed covered in multi-colored pillows. There were piles of toys stacked up in the corner for Emmilen to play with. All in all, Snape decided that this had to be a little girl's dream room. He was extremely relieved that he wouldn't have to come in her often.  
  
"Emmilen." said Snape firmly. "Tonight, since it's a special occasion, you can stay up as late as you want, provided that you don't leave your room unless it's an emergency. Please be quiet, though, since I am going to bed." In all honesty, Snape felt drained from the surprises of the day and was completely serious about going to bed, though he was usually up for several more hours.  
  
"Okay." said Emmilen excitedly. "Will you play with me tomorrow?"  
  
Snape sighed. "We'll see." he replied. "Good night."  
  
"G'night, Uncle Sev'rus." said Emmilen cheerfully, already hurrying back to her room.  
  
With a last glance at his newly discovered niece, Snape retired to his bedroom, a complete contrast to Emmilen's bright girly room, giving only a sneer to the pile of ungraded papers left on his desk. He quickly changed into his nightclothes and then climbed into bed, letting sleep overtake his over-exhausted mind. 


	2. Chapter Two

Thanks to jamesBob, Leiko, and DaeRose for reviewing. Ya'll are awesome! Just to let you know, in case you haven't figured it out, Snape has absolutely no idea how to take care of a little girl. He's trying hard, though, for the sake of his brother.  
  
Snape woke with a start. He groggily rolled over and grabbed his alarm clock. It read 2:18. "Good." he muttered to himself. "Not time to get up yet." He rolled back over and was in the process of falling back asleep when he heard a strange sound.  
  
Snape was immediately alert. He grabbed his wand from his bedside and crept slowly toward the mysterious sound, which was becoming more pronounced. It was coming from his empty spare bedroom. As he stealthily walked toward the room, suddenly he recalled the events of the day before. It wasn't Death Eaters, coming to take revenge out on him. It was merely Emmilen.  
  
He peeked through the slightly opened crack leading to his newly- discovered niece's room, preparing to admonish her for staying up so late, but what he saw caught him by surprise. She was lying on her large bed, a stuffed creature clutched to her chest, crying.  
  
Snape's eyes grew wide in panic. He could handle pain, torture, and disobedient children without a second thought, but he had no idea how to comfort a crying child. He'd rather be at a Death Eater meeting right now then face this. But Snape was loath to ask anyone for help, especially at this time of night. He'd have to handle it himself. He thought briefly of abandoning the weeping child and going back to his warm bedchamber, but his conscience wouldn't let him. This was Kolus' child, his little brother, who hadn't trusted his only sibling with the news that he had a child. Snape had to admit that that information was more disturbing to him then finding out that his whole family had been systematically murdered. Severus had always tried to protect Kolus when they were younger, but when it came down to it, he couldn't resist his parents anymore. He'd given in to the feelings of self-loathing, and in turn became much more susceptible to the Dark Arts, leading him on an easy path to the Dark Lord, and all he stood for. Snape hadn't been able to tell Kolus of his later conversion, under oath from Dumbledore for protection. It was one of his deepest regrets in life, that Kolus, always so pure, hadn't known of the brother he used to idolize's transformation. Kolus and his wife's unexpected deaths had shattered Severus to the very core of his being. Now, unexpectedly, Severus had the chance to reconcile himself to his brother by means of Kolus' daughter. He had no choice. He went in.  
  
"Emmilen?" he asked cautiously.  
  
His only answer was a sniffle. Feeling decidedly uncomfortable, he sat down on Emmilen's horridly pink bed. "What's the matter, Emmilen?" he asked again, nervously.  
  
Finally after a long pause, Emmilen raised her head. "I miss my gwandma." she sniffed. "I wanna go home."  
  
'Crap.' thought Snape, feeling totally helpless. He had absolutely no idea how to deal with this. "You are home, Emmilen." he said, knowing before he said it how lame it sounded.  
  
"But I miss my old room. And my gwandma."  
  
"I know." said Snape, trying to sound as comforting as possible. He didn't want to botch this up, like he'd botched up his relationship with his brother. "Emmilen, what would it take for you to feel more comfortable here?"  
  
Emmilen shrugged, wiping at her tears. Snape wracked his brains, trying to think what he would have liked when he was her age. "Would you like some ice cream?" he finally offered.  
  
Emmilen looked up a bit hopefully. "Do you have chocolate?" she asked in a small voice.  
  
Snape was impressed. He hadn't expected that to work at all. "Of course we have chocolate." he replied. "I'll be right back."  
  
"Can I come with you?" asked Emmilen shyly.  
  
"Well, okay." said Snape hesitantly. "I'm not going far."  
  
He began walking out of the room. Emmilen hurriedly climbed off the bed and followed him. To Snape's utter surprise, she slid her small hand inside of his.  
  
Snape pressed the small button on his wall that summoned a house elf to his chambers. One popped in right away. "Ooh!" said Emmilen, fascinated with the creature and his manor of arrival.  
  
"Master Professor Snape called?" said the house elf eagerly. "What can Reiley do for Master Professor Snape?"  
  
"I need two bowls of chocolate ice cream." said Snape firmly.  
  
"Is that all Master Professor Snape be needing?"  
  
"That's all." replied Snape firmly. The creatures could certainly get on his nerves, though he wouldn't deny that they had their uses.  
  
The house elf popped off and a few seconds later, popped back in, carrying the ice cream.  
  
Snape took one of the bowls and handed it to Emmilen, who had to remove her hand from his to hold it. For a faint moment, Snape felt slightly disappointed, quickly dismissed the feeling. It was the lack of sleep. He could feel it.  
  
Once the house elf had left, they took their ice cream to Snape's small kitchen, which was almost never used, except occasionally for something to do with Potions. They sat there in silence, eating the ice cream. A bit later, both bowls were empty and Snape especially was feeling exhausted.  
  
"Do you think you'll be able to fall asleep now, Emmilen?" asked Snape, hoping for an affirmative answer.  
  
"Yes, Uncle Sev'rus." she replied quietly, stifling a yawn.  
  
"All right, then, good night."  
  
Emmilen stared at him intently for a second, then made to go back to her room.  
  
Snape wondered momentarily what that was about, then dismissed it and crawled back into his bed for a few more hours of peaceful rest. 


	3. Chapter Three

Thanks to Dae and Padfootfan for reviewing last chapter. I appreciate your reviews more then you would believe! Sorry this was relatively short, but Padfootfan seemed rather eager, so I tried my best despite my not-wanting- to-write syndrome! Hopefully the next chapters will be longer. Hey, have ya'll seen the new HP movie yet? Wasn't it cool? I wish they were better  
able to stick to the books though. My friend and I went to see it at midnight yesterday and we spent the following hour afterwards pointing out  
all the discrepancies. But still awesome! Anyways, here's the story!  
Review, please!!!  
  
CHAPTER THREE  
  
Snape woke up with a start as his magical alarm clock went off with a burst of green and silver fireworks that quickly dissipated into the air. He grudgingly got up and got a shower.  
  
Just as he was about to leave to go down to the Great Hall for breakfast, he recalled that probably something should be done about Emmilen. Peeking in on her, he saw that she was fast asleep, curled up in the middle of the bed. Snape quickly summoned a house elf and ordered her to leave breakfast on the table for Emmilen. Next to her food, Snape scrawled a short note telling her that he was going to be in classes and to play quietly. With that done, he headed down to breakfast.  
  
Snape was watching over his 3rd years trying to brew their potions when Dumbledore stuck his head in the door. "Severus, may I speak with you for a moment?"  
  
Snape gave a nod, and turned to his class. "The next one of you who puts a foot wrong while I am away will soon find himself on the train back home." he hissed before striding over to the door.  
  
"Yes, Professor?" he asked, once outside.  
  
"I believe you forgot someone." said Dumbledore seriously. Only then did Snape look down and see Emmilen standing next to the headmaster.  
  
Snape frowned in puzzlement. "I left her breakfast and a note telling her where I was."  
  
Dumbledore sighed. "Oh Severus," he said before he waved his wand and conjured up a coloring book and some crayons and handed them to the little girl. "Here you are, Emmilen. Do go sit down over there and color while I talk to your Uncle Severus."  
  
"Okay, Mr. Albus." said Emmilen intently, taking the toys and sitting where Dumbledore had motioned.  
  
Dumbledore turned back to Snape. "You cannot leave Emmilen by herself, Severus. She's only five. She cannot read. She came looking for you this morning. You are lucky Professor McGonagall found her before Peeves."  
  
"Well, what am I supposed to do with her, then?" asked Snape in exasperation. "I have lessons to teach. I cannot watch a five year old all the time. My potions would be ruined!"  
  
"I would suggest hiring a babysitter, then?"  
  
"A babysitter?"  
  
"Perhaps a couple of your sixth and seventh year students could work out a schedule, since they don't have nearly the number of classes as the younger five grades. Merely a suggestion, Severus, but I will not let you shirk off on your duties again."  
  
"What do I do with her until then?" asked Snape helplessly.  
  
"Bring her with you." Dumbledore turned to Emmilen. "Emmilen, why don't you take your coloring book in with your uncle and color while he teaches."  
  
"Okay." said Emmilen, getting up from the floor.  
  
Snape groaned. He hadn't even thought of what students would say when it was announced that he was taking care of a five year old. People would think he had gone soft. Then he thought of his brother. "All right." he said grudgingly.  
  
Emmilen followed Snape in. He motioned her to sit down in a corner and continue coloring. Really, Snape was amazed just how well behaved Emmilen was. Nothing like those arrogant Gryffindors.  
  
"Professor?" called one of the braver Gryffindors, a boy named Alexander Trinck.  
  
Snape looked in that direction with a scowl. "Yes, Mr. Trinck?"  
  
"Who's that?" he asked, gesturing to Emmilen.  
  
Snape paused a moment. 'It had to come to this, Severus.' he told himself before answering. "This is my niece, Emmilen. She is staying with me. Now, back to work!"  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
Snape had managed to find two students, both seventh year Slytherins that he trusted to watch Emmilen, Melinda Stewart and Krista Renlin. The price, a mere 15 Galleons per week, to be split between them. He growled a bit every time he thought of it. Albus and his "brilliant" ideas! 


	4. Chapter Four

Thanks to redrosey, Leiko, RandiWeasley, and Padfootfan for reviewing last chapter. This one, again, is a short one and I'm very sorry about that. I  
was having a hard time writing. Ran out of things to say. This story, unlike Koraleigh, doesn't have a set outline. I'm just writing whatever, so hopefully ya'll will bear with me. I'll try to have a new chapter of Koraleigh out either tomorrow or the next day. Probably tomorrow, but not  
promising anything. All right. You can read now, and tell me if this chapter is as bad as I think it is. Once again, sorry! You can point out, in fact I encourage pointing out what you think I need to fix, or if you have any ideas about what should happen next, I'd love to hear them. Thanks for actually taking the time to read my stuff. You guys are awesome. And  
now, since I've made the A/N's long enough to make up for the short  
chapter, you can read now. (  
  
CHAPTER FOUR  
  
'Well, today could have been a lot worse.' thought Snape to himself. He was grading the essays he'd put off yesterday...was it only yesterday that he'd found out he had a niece? It seemed a year ago. Emmilen sat on the floor near Snape's desk, playing with a doll. Surprisingly, he had received very few comments about him caring for his niece, and none had been downright derogatory. He wondered if the Headmaster had anything to do with that.  
  
"Uncle Sev'rus?" asked Emmilen, doll momentarily forgotten.  
  
"Yes?" asked Snape, glancing up from the papers. He hadn't been doing a great job of concentrating anyway.  
  
"Why are you so mean to the people?"  
  
"The people?" asked Snape, confused.  
  
"The people, the ones in your classes." replied Emmilen, trying to clarify. "Why are you so mean?"  
  
Snape opened his mouth to remark about how incompetent they were, but then closed it again. The majority of them were not really incompetent, just learning. Why was he so mean? He hadn't thought about it much before. Sure, there were the obvious reasons, like he needed to be an ally to the Slytherins. By favoring them, he could them gain their confidence, which in turn, meant that they would take his advice to not join the Dark Lord's Death Eaters. But there wasn't any reason, really, to belittle the other houses that much. It had been so ingrained in him, such a part of who he was, that he didn't think about it at all. Strangely ironic, how a little girl could make him think so much. Maybe it was because she was the first person that he didn't suspect of ulterior motives.  
  
"I really don't know, Emmilen." he replied.  
  
"Well, my gwandma always said you should be nice to people, no matter what!" Emmilen looked a little annoyed that Snape didn't have a better answer. Frankly, so was Snape.  
  
"Your grandmother must be a smart woman." replied Snape.  
  
"Can I have some more ice cream?" asked Emmilen, totally changing the subject.  
  
Snape shook his head. "Too much ice cream is not good for you." Snape was determined to raise this little girl right, if only to make his brother proud, from the grave.  
  
"Oh." pouted Emmilen. "Please!" she gave Snape a disarming smile.  
  
"No. I think it's your bedtime anyway."  
  
"Ohhh! I don't wanna go to bed!"  
  
"Well, it's bedtime." stated Snape firmly. He had gotten a list of things to do and not to do anonymously left on his desk, but he strongly suspected Albus. Bedtime was one of them/  
  
"It's your bedtime, Emmilen. I let you stay up late last night."  
  
"Ohh!" cried Emmilen, stamping her foot in annoyance. Then her voice quieted. "Will you tuck me in, Uncle Sev'rus?"  
  
Snape sighed. 'Imagine if my students could see me now.' he thought grimly to himself. But his brother and his daughter was more important to him. "All right." he relented, though he really wasn't sure how to go about it.  
  
"Yay!" cried Emmilen, racing to her bed. She jumped in eagerly.  
  
Snape frowned at the girl, bouncing up and down. "I've never tucked someone in before. How do you do it?"  
  
"Silly." proclaimed Emmilen. "First you gotta read me a story!"  
  
Snape groaned mentally. He thought about suggesting his still ungraded essays. He bet that would put her to sleep. Instead, he took a deep breath and said, "Would you like to pick out a book?"  
  
"Okay." she jumped off her bed and ran over to her bookshelf. She stood, tapping her finger against her chin thoughtfully. Snape had to fight the urge to smile at that.  
  
"How about this one?" said Emmilen finally, pulling out a rather large bright orange book entitled "Mr. Scardey and the Dragon."  
  
"All right." answered Snape, taking the book gingerly from Emmilen as though it might bite. He opened the book and began. Amazingly, when he completed the terribly, well, stupid story, he looked up to find Emmilen fast asleep. He quietly replaced the book and crept out of the room. 


	5. Chapter Five

Ah! I have returned! I know everyone missed me. ( Sorry this took so long to get out. I got home on Sunday and had the worst case of "I don't  
wanna write!" syndrome. But thanks so much for your suggestions, RandiWeasley, redrosey, and Padfootfan. I'm planning on using them all for the story. I found a nice neat way to make them all work together. But I'm not telling what they are yet. Hehe. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, Sailor J-chan/2xH 4ever/ Psycho, RandiWeasley, Padfootfan, and redrosey!  
Sorry it's short, and not that great, but like I said, I tried!  
  
CHAPTER FIVE  
  
Snape was settling into his new routine with Emmilen. He had decided that caring for a child wasn't too difficult. He handed her off to Miss Stewart every morning, got her from Miss Renlin every evening after supper, and put her to bed an hour later. He even thought he was getting the hang of the story and tuck-in thing. Snape couldn't imagine why some people thought child-rearing was so difficult. They must simply not be as accustomed to hard work as he was.  
  
"Uncle Sev'rus?" called Emmilen, coming in to his personal study, dragging a rag doll behind her.  
  
Snape looked up impatiently from the essay he had been attempting to grade. "Yes." he responded neutrally.  
  
"Can I go to school? Pretty pretty please?"  
  
Snape blinked. "You cannot enter Hogwarts until you are eleven, Emmilen. You know that."  
  
"No, not magic school! Reading school and 'ddition 'n 'traction school! Miss Krista said I'm supposed to go."  
  
Snape considered that for a second. Now that he thought about it, he supposed he had been around five or six when he had started having private tutors come to Snape Manor. Snape supposed he could always look into hiring one for Emmilen. He mentally put it on his list on things to do.  
  
"I'll look into finding you a tutor, Emmilen." replied Snape. Then a thought crossed his mind. Weren't tutors expensive? His parents had been as liberal with their vast amounts of wealth as they had with their abuse. He shuddered a bit inwardly as he remembered those days and thanked his lucky stars that they were long gone.  
  
"Yay!" responded Emmilen, and turned and went back into her bedroom. Snape thought he had done a good job of teaching her not to disturb him more then necessary though sometimes he didn't always agree with her idea of necessary.  
  
Snape's thoughts went back to the tutor. What would he do if he couldn't find an acceptable and affordable tutor for Emmilen? He was determined to do a good job raising his niece and realized she did need to begin some sort of education, now that it had been brought to his attention.  
  
!!!!!!  
  
The next day, during Snape's free period, he had gone to speak with Dumbledore about the possibility of hiring a tutor. However, just as he had suspected, it would be incredibly expensive to hire a tutor. But Dumbledore had suggested that Snape possibly teach Emmilen himself. At first Snape had venomously refused, but at Dumbledore's gentle prompting, he had begun to see the wisdom of the situation. After all, how hard could it be to teach a five year old? It might even be all right. Emmilen was a Snape, after all, and not prone to idiocy or simple incompetence, like Longbottom. Nor was she arrogant and disrespectful like Potter and his Gryffindor friends.  
  
With half an hour left in his free period, Snape had flooed down to Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley to get a few textbooks for Emmilen. He had finally settled on Basics for the Young Witch and Wizard in Reading and Numbers for Beginners. With new books in hand, Snape flooed back to Hogwarts, deciding to look through the books that night.  
  
"Does I get to go to school?" asked Emmilen eagerly later that night, interrupting Snape, who was grading his last essay and about to start looking through Emmilen's books.  
  
Snape looked up. "Tomorrow after supper." he promised. "I will be teaching you...if you can be quiet and leave me alone to prepare tonight."  
  
"Yay!!!" called out Emmilen. "I'll be good." she promised heartily as she dashed back out of the room, her hand clamped over her mouth.  
  
With Emmilen gone, and the last of his essays finished, Snape took out the books and began leafing through them. He was rather impressed of the clarity and in-depthness of the children's books. 'This should be a piece of cake.' he thought to himself as he wrote out the plans for the next day. 'Emmilen will be the best educated witch once she starts Hogwarts.' he promised himself as he closed the books and went to bed. 


	6. Chapter Six

Hello everyone! I am not writing this story anymore. RandiWeasley and redrosey are! Yay for them! I am now merely the editor, by choice. I'm still going to be writing Koraleigh though, if you read that (and if you don't go read it. () I just was tired of writing this and felt I wasn't doing a good enough job. But this chapter is extremely good, not to mention extremely long for me, well, except it's not by me, oh you know what I mean! Sorry, I'm babbling. Thanks to everyone for reviewing, Sailor J-chan/2xH 4ever/Psycho, Padfootfan, No Name LOL, Wowserz!, and of course my new co-authors, RandiWeasley and redrosey! This chapter was written by RandiWeasley and she wanted to let everyone know that the /.../ like /p/ etc are phonetic sounds. So, please everyone review!!!!!!!!  
  
The next morning Emmilen awakened very early. She had remembered a very important thing that she'd forgotten to tell her Uncle Sev'rus. She padded down the hall and into her uncle's room. He was still sleeping, moving about in the bed and muttering to himself. But he'd said to wake him if it were important. So Emmilen scrambled onto the bed and bounced on his stomach.  
  
Severus had been entering the throes of a nightmare. Voldemort was intent on destroying a Muggle village, and no one was being spared. Men, women, children, dogs, cats, birds, everything alive was being tortured and killed. He, Snape, was not showing enough enthusiasm for the sport, in his master's opinion, so he was being subjected to the Cruciatus curse as punishment. He was writhing on the ground, refusing to scream, refusing to let the Dark Lord know he was getting to him when unexpectedly the earth beneath him shook and a moderate weight landed roughly on his abdomen. The weight eased as the earth shook again only to be reapplied as the earth slowly stilled. This strange process was repeated many times while his mind tried to fathom the phenomenon at work in the situation. He couldn't figure it out, but decided the best way to stop it was to get the weight away from his abdomen. The next time the weight landed, therefore, he grabbed it in both hands and rolled over so that it was pinned beneath him. Then a child's voice cut through his dream, which evaporated like so much mist.  
  
"OW! Uncle Sev'rus, you hurted me!"  
  
His eyes snapping open, Severus waved a hand to increase the amount of illumination in the room. He found himself atop his five-year-old niece, straddling her legs, his hand pressed on her neck. Moving quickly aside, he reached out and pulled her to a seated position beside himself. "Emmilen, what happened? Why are you out of bed at--" He glanced at the clock. "3:27 in the morning?"  
  
"It's important, Uncle Sev'rus. You said I should always waked you for important things, 'member?"  
  
"Yes, yes, I did," sighed Severus grumpily, wondering if Albus would permit him to retract that offer. He rather doubted it so instead settled for running a hand over his face with a sigh. "What is it?"  
  
"I cannot start school today, Uncle Sev'rus." The child's chin quivered as two tears rolled down each chubby cheek.  
  
"And why might that be?" asked Snape indignantly. He paused. "You're not ill, are you?" He reached out to feel her forehead. Finding it perfectly normal, he wondered 'Did some smart-aleck Gryffindor taunt her with horrid tales of school? If such is the case, I'll have every last one of them in detention until Christmas!'  
  
"Oh, no, sir, Uncle Sev'rus. But I can't go to school without a bookbag and I don't gots one." She sniffled again loudly.  
  
Severus blinked once...twice...thrice. No other statement seemed to be forthcoming. This conversational Quaffle appeared to have been dropped into his arms. He did not feel up to flying with it at all, but there seemed to be no other moves available. The only thing he could think to do was echo her statement. "You don't have a bookbag?"  
  
The child shook her head sadly. "No, sir, none at all. And all the people who go to school here have one."  
  
Running a hand through his hair before pinching the bridge of his nose, the Potions Master closed his eyes before stating in a quiet tone, "You also don't have any school books to put into one."  
  
"It's not just the books, you know, Uncle Sev'rus. There's parchment, ink, and quills as well." She brightened a bit. "I have my coloring books and crayons though. Mr. Albus gave them to me."  
  
Her uncle's head came up sharply. "You will not--and I repeat NOT--be bringing your coloring books to school. I have work for you to do-- important work, not inane animal pictures."  
  
His tone--the most deadly silky tone imaginable, the tone that could send even seventh-years running for cover--was lost on Emmilen. Snuggling closer, she grabbed his arm. "Oh! What kind of important work, Uncle Sev'rus?"  
  
'Well, at least that seemed to make an impression,' thought Snape, as he continued in a far-less-deadly tone. "You will learn to read, write letters, do basic maths, and handle money--both wizarding and Muggle. You will also be introduced to the basics of science and possibly, if you are very good, be taught to brew a simple potion or two."  
  
"Oh!" breathed the girl in awe. "And what will I do tomorrow, Uncle Sev'rus?"  
  
Fighting down a strong urge to chuckle, the Potions Master regarded his niece with something akin to a proud smile. "You are a Snape, aren't you?" he complimented the child before explaining. "You will do the same each day until the work is mastered, then--" He fumbled to a halt. This was never- ending. This child would not go home at the end of the second term. This child was now HIS! For life!  
  
'What have I gotten myself into?' he cried silently. He raged at Albus for talking him into this. He raged at his younger brother for dying while his child was still a toddler. But, no, it was unfair to blame Kolus. He would accept this responsibility for the love of his brother, the same as Kolus would have done for him, had their situations been reversed.  
  
"Then what, Uncle Sev'rus?" asked the curious voice at his side.  
  
With a deep breath, Snape replied, "Then we may possibly take a short break before beginning next year's schooling."  
  
"OK," replied the girl. "What do we do now?"  
  
What, indeed, at 3:49 in the morning? Snape was about to order Emmilen back to sleep when he noticed the excited and hopeful look on her face. The look he had had when he had first started school.  
  
"We get you a bookbag for school." Climbing to his feet, Severus went to the wardrobe and extracted his old bookbag. Removing the parchments he had stored inside it, left from his school days, he returned to the child. "This used to be my bookbag when I went to Hogwarts. You may use it as your own now. Come along. I shall find you suitable supplies to fill it. You will be expected to study hard and do your very best work at all times."  
  
"Yes, Uncle Sev'rus." Emmilen slipped her hand into his as she slid off the bed and they went in search of the needed supplies.  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
All in the Great Hall were highly amused to see the stern Potions Master enter the next morning, trailed by the little girl lugging a black leather bookbag that was two-thirds her size. This unlikely duo made their way to the Head Table, looking neither right nor left. Indeed, Severus knew if he looked, he would see his worst nightmare come true--a nightmare scarier than anything the Dark Lord could dream up. He would see the students smirking at him. No! It was far better not to look. Emmilen, for her part, thoroughly distracted by the bulky weight bouncing around her knees, did not think to look. Therefore, both made the Head Table without meeting anyone's eyes.  
  
"What is this?" asked Dumbledore quietly, as Severus stopped to instruct the child to stow her bag beneath the table before sitting.  
  
"It's my bookbag, Mr. Albus. I start school tonight!" crowed the girl in a voice that could easily have been heard in the North Tower. "I 'splained to Uncle Sev'rus how I had to bring it with me 'cause all these other 'goes- to-school' people bring their bookbags to breakfast and lunch too."  
  
Titters broke out among the students then, and among much of the staff as well.  
  
"Indeed! It was very observant of you to notice that, Emmilen," replied the headmaster, shaking with silent laughter.  
  
Snape shot him a dark look.  
  
"She'll tire of lugging the bag around needlessly soon enough, Severus. Don't worry," chuckled the older wizard.  
  
"No!" replied her uncle firmly. "She set this up as a rule for herself. She will obey it or be punished accordingly."  
  
Dumbledore's laughter died away as the twinkle dimmed noticeably in the cerulean-blue orbs. "We can talk about this later, Severus."  
  
Snape gave him his best sneer as he replied coolly, "As you wish, Headmaster." The child was HIS niece, after all. He would raise her by HIS rules. And if the old coot thought differently, why, he just had another think coming. So he would inform the older man at his first break of the day.  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
The morning passed uneventfully. At luncheon, Severus was amused, and secretly relieved, to note that it had become the babysitter's responsibility to handle Emmilen and her bookbag. The seventh-year did have a lot of assistance, however. It seemed every Slytherin girl from fifth-year up wanted to sit next to his niece and, therefore, earn the privilege of helping her lug the bag over the bench. It had long been decided that Emmilen would eat at Slytherin House's table in case he did not make it to the Great Hall at noon. Oh! He was glad he'd made it that noon though. His niece was--well, she was actually cute carrying that big bag over her shoulder so proudly. 'Wait a minute! Did I just think something was cute? Well, she is a Snape, after all, with our classic good looks. It's not like I'm going soft or anything. I'm merely doing my duty to Kolus, nothing more.' That decided, the stern Potions Master returned to his food, unaware of the uncommon smile resting upon his lips.  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
His last period class was just ending as the sitter-of-the-hour delivered Emmilen and her bookbag to his classroom door.  
  
"Who gets the extra knut this week, Miss Stewart?" he asked passing over the fifteen-galleon weekly 'salary'. It still amused him that two of his smartest seventeen-year-old students would agree to accept an amount of payment that would not divide equally between them.  
  
"We put it into a jar and will divide it up at the end of term when it will come out evenly, sir." replied Miss Stewart with a smile.  
  
"Oh, well," sneered Snape, but with much more amusement than malice. "As long as you have a plan for it. We don't want loose knuts floating around, you know. Too much temptation in that." Turning to his niece, he inquired, "Did we decide that most students put their bookbags in their rooms before going to dinner or not?"  
  
"We decided they did, Uncle Sev'rus," said the child in a serious tone, hoisting the bag farther up on her shoulder.  
  
"And you did not try to saddle your sitters with carrying it for you today?"  
  
"No, sir, Uncle Sev'rus." The sitter nodded agreement with the child's words.  
  
"Very good then. Let us go to our quarters, so you can stow it away. Thank you, Miss Stewart."  
  
The startled seventh-year, who had never heard her snarky Head-of-House thank anyone for anything, wandered toward the Great Hall and dinner with a dazed expression. 'Could it be,' she wondered, 'that Emmilen is finding Professor Snape's heart after all these years of us thinking he didn't have one?'  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
All too quickly for Severus, but not nearly fast enough for Emmilen, dinner was over and it was time for school.  
  
"Get your bookbag and then come immediately to my office," Severus ordered as they entered their quarters.  
  
"Yes, Uncle Sev'rus!" crowed Emmilen, fairly bounding toward her room. She was in the office, bookbag on her shoulder, before Severus had even laid out the night's first lesson.  
  
"Now we are going to begin one of the most important lessons of your life," Snape informed the wide-eyed child before him. "You are going to learn to read."  
  
"Yes, Uncle Sev'rus," the girl breathed, with a suitable amount of awe in her tone.  
  
Severus pulled from his desk drawer the parchment upon which he had copied the first reading lesson. "Learning to read well includes learning the sounds of the letters and letter groupings which make up the English language. By putting these sounds together, we can sound out the words on the page and learn to recognize them. This is called 'blending'--"  
  
"Blenning," interrupted Emmilen, nodding sagely.  
  
"No. Blending. Blen-DDDD-ing." Sev corrected, putting heavy emphasis on the /d/ sound. "From now on, I shall be correcting your pronunciation so that you may learn to recognize the correct sounds within words. That is blending--/bl/,/e/,/n/,/d/,/i/,/ng/--blending."  
  
"Wow!" commented Emmilen, sounding very impressed. "Can you do that again, Uncle Sev'rus? Please!"  
  
Three more times, Severus demonstrated the blending of the word 'blending.' Emmilen tried it twice herself and would have gladly continued with that activity all hour if her uncle had not rather sternly stopped her and returned her attention to the parchment before them. "This is the letter 't.' Its sound is /t/."  
  
"/p/," said Emmilen importantly.  
  
"No. Not /p/. /t/. /t/, /t/, /t/, /t/," corrected Severus.  
  
"/b/?" hazarded Emmilen, screwing up her face in confusion.  
  
After forty-five minutes, instead of the seventeen sounds that Snape had planned to teach, they had covered only the first three: /t/, /a/, and /n/. Drawing parchment, ink and quill to himself with a small sigh, he wrote: t a n tan a n t ant tan ant "Now you are going to read your first words, Emmilen. /t/,/a/,/n/ blends together to say 'tan.' /a/,/n/,/t/ blends together to say 'ant.' Now let's hear you do it. Come on. /t/..."  
  
His niece performed that task, if not admirably, at least adequately. So he dismissed her back to her room, stating that her homework was to practice reading that parchment.  
  
"Yay!" cheered Emmilen in his ear. "I have homework just like Miss Melinda and Miss Krista do! Is it a lot, Uncle Sev'rus?"  
  
"For you I'd say it was an adequate amount," responded that individual with a touch of sarcasm, which was fortunately lost on the excited child.  
  
"An adequate amount," she nodded, carefully repeating the phrase as a knock sounded and the door opened. "Hello, Mr. Albus. Guess what? I have an adequate amount of homework!" she announced brightly. "Look!" She ran to him with the parchment. "/t/,/a/,/n/ tan /a/,/n/,/t/ ant tan ant."  
  
"Wonderful! Wonderful!" beamed the headmaster, pulling her to him in a one- armed hug. "Keep that up, and you'll be reading through my library in no time at all."  
  
The child, snuggled into the headmaster's robes, missed the grimace that crossed her uncle's face then, but the older wizard's hawk eyes missed nothing and his expression questioned the Potions Master gently before he bent to kiss the girl's hair.  
  
"Yes, Emmilen, run along," Severus spoke calmly. "Go to your room; read your parchment one more time; put it carefully into your bookbag, then you may play quietly until bedtime."  
  
"OK, Uncle Sev'rus. Goodbye, Mr. Albus." Emmilen picked up the bookbag with a slight groan and struggled from the room. Severus's upraised hand kept the headmaster silent until they heard the girl's bedroom door close.  
  
"What is wrong, Severus?" asked Albus then. "It seems the lesson went well."  
  
"Went well?" gasped Snape, too upset to even sneer. "Went well! What is wrong with the girl, Headmaster? Is she unintelligent, then?"  
  
"Never," gasped the elder, shocked. "Why would you even think such a thing?"  
  
"Then the fault lies with me," sighed Severus deeply, not even bothering to acknowledge, let alone answer, the headmaster's question. "I am an inadequate teacher."  
  
"I have known you to teach very adequately indeed, Professor Severus Snape!" snapped Dumbledore. "Now what do you mean by this behavior?"  
  
Sighing once again, Severus picked up the lesson parchment and thrust it at the older man. "There! That is what the book said she should have learned within the first hour. But what you saw is all she knows. Not seventeen sounds, but three. A lousy three!" He slammed his hand down on the desk and cursed loudly.  
  
"No," calmed Albus, as understanding dawned. "A wonderful three, Severus. Don't you see," he continued at the confusion upon the other's face. "It is far better that she learn three perfectly than seventeen incorrectly. You showed great wisdom by stopping the lesson when you did. Never try to follow a book so closely that you lose sight of the child, my boy. Correct procedures that prevent mistakes are just as important in reading as they are in potion making. Would you throw a seventeen-step potion at your first-years at the start of their first term?"  
  
"Merlin, no!" gasped Severus. "They'd blow up the entire castle!" To himself he added, 'Especially if they were Gryffindors!'  
  
"My point exactly," smiled Dumbledore. "You'd have big problems on your hands then."  
  
Severus resisted the urge to point out that he would be dead after the entire castle had blown up around him.  
  
"No," continued Dumbledore blithely. "Unlearning a mistake and relearning things correctly takes much longer than going a bit slowly in the beginning to be sure everything is understood. A good idea in teaching Potions, Reading, or any subject at all, hmm?" He peered intently over his half- moon spectacles at the Potions Master who was not known for teaching Potions slowly at all. "I heard Mr. Potter got himself put into detention this Saturday for not following the proper steps in making the Barkly- Bannier Potion."  
  
"Yes," sneered Severus. "He came very close to blowing up his cauldron while acting like a complete dunderhead. He added his root of asphodel to a Barkley infusion before properly stirring in his newt eyes. Adding ingredients too quickly seems to be an unfortunate habit of his. One I'm trying very hard to break, I assure you."  
  
"The unlearning and relearning taking a bit of a long time for Harry, hmm?" quizzed the headmaster lightly. His eyes held Severus's until he caught the flicker that his message had hit home. Then he continued with a dazzling smile. "Well, congratulations on an excellent first lesson with Emmilen, Severus. That was a very wise thing you did; starting her off slowly."  
  
Then Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard alive, swept from the dungeon office, leaving a stunned but very thoughtful man behind him. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Hey everybody. Look at that, a new chapter for all of you. See how quickly this works when you've got three people doing the work. ( Thanks to Padfootfan and No Name LOL for reviewing. And I suppose thank you to redrosey for reviewing too, though she's the co-author now, well, one of them. Hope you enjoy.  
  
AN AUTHOR NOTE FROM THE REAL AUTHOR, REDROSEY: i hope you like this chapter. i would like to thank Ashley and Randi for making this chapter even better. you guys are the best. i would like to thank my little cuzz for inspiring me for this chapter and the character Missy. well here it is and I hope you like it.  
  
Severus Snape was in his bedroom thinking about what Dumbledore had said. 'Maybe it is a wonderful three. Albus does have a point. You can't rush these things.' With that thought in his head, Severus went to sleep.  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
He woke up at 6:00, and after getting dressed, went into Emmilen's room. To his surprise, she was up and doing her homework. "Hi, Uncle Sev'rus, look what I can do: /a/,/a/,/a/,/n/,/n/,/n/,/t/,/t/,/t/!" Emmilen pronounced, proudly and perfectly.  
  
"Good!" Snape gave her a surprised smile. "Are you ready?"  
  
"Yes, Uncle Sev'rus," Emmilen said as she grabbed her bookbag.  
  
Together they went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Emmilen put her bookbag under the Head Table and went to sit down next to her baby- sitters at the Slytherin table. Severus took his usual seat and started eating. When he was done, he watched Emmilen laughing at one of the girls making a funny face. After breakfast was over, Emmilen went with one of her sitters to the Slytherin common room. Severus watched her leave with a smile on his face. The grumpy Potion Master was actually smiling in front of the remaining staff and students! Many wondered if the world would end before noon.  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
Classes went by quickly. It seemed like time was speeding. 'Today was a good day,' Severus thought to himself as he looked at his students finishing up. 'I only had to take 20 points from Gryffindor today.' Looking at the clock, Snape announced, "Time is up. Put your potion in a flask and label it, then you may go." The students did as they were told, hurrying out of the classroom.  
  
As the last student left, McGonagall entered. "Severus, Albus wants to speak with you in his office." 'What now?' thought Snape. "All right. Thank you, Minerva," he said as he left his classroom. 'I wonder what he wants now.' was the mantra playing through his head as he approached the stone gargoyle.  
  
After giving the password, "Ice Mice," he climbed onto the revolving escalator. Once he'd knocked on Dumbledore's door, the headmaster's voice called, "Come in."  
  
Severus walked into Dumbledore's office, and immediately noticed a girl in her late teens. "Take a seat, Severus. This is Missy Terlan. She is seventeen-years-old and is training to be a teacher." Albus said, pointing to the girl in the seat next to his. "Missy, this is Professor Severus Snape. He is the Potion Master here at Hogwarts. Miss Terlan graduated from an American wizarding school, Hunter, I believe it's called."  
  
The girl nodded with a timid smile.  
  
"Miss Terlan wants to be a teacher, so I've offered her the opportunity to train here and assist a professor," Albus continued.  
  
Severus nodded politely, but in his heart was wondering 'OK, so why am I here?'  
  
Dumbledore must have known Snape was thinking this for he got right to the point then. "Missy is Emmilen's cousin on her mother's side. She will be occupying the spare room next to your office, Severus, so she can be close to Emmilen. Besides, I think Emmilen will love having her here."  
  
Snape nodded, but he was a bit confused about a certain issue.  
  
There was a long pause then Dumbledore continued. "Severus, why don't you escort Missy to the Great Hall?"  
  
"Of course." replied Snape. "But could I speak to you a moment alone?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "If you would just wait outside, Miss Terlan, Professor Snape will be with you momentarily.  
  
Missy nodded and left.  
  
"Yes, Severus?"  
  
"I thought you told me that Emmilen had no relatives other then her grandmother and myself, that all the others were killed."  
  
"They were," replied Dumbledore. "Missy escaped my notice as she was away at school at the time. She has no one else either, which is why I allowed her to come to Hogwarts. Apparently, Emmilen is close to her older cousin as they visited often."  
  
Snape nodded. He'd try to be considerate of the girl then.  
  
He left Dumbledore's office and immediately spotted Miss Terlan. She began to follow him. To make conversation, Snape asked, "What class will you be assisting in?"  
  
"Defense Against the Dark Arts," the teen replied, shyly. "Good choice," Severus replied.  
  
"It's my favorite." Missy sighed as they walked through the Great Hall doors. Severus walked ahead and, leaving Missy behind, took his seat at the Head Table. As Missy walked by the Slytherin table, Emmilen spotted her and with a shout of "MISSY!" ran to give her a big hug.  
  
"Hey, Monster," Missy rejoined, as she returned her cousin's embrace. She'd squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in Emmilen's hair. She, therefore, was unaware of everyone looking curiously at them, including one very bemused Severus Snape. 


	8. Chapter Eight

Hi Everybody, and welcome to the longest chapter of Emmilen, written by RandiWeasley! Everyone give her a round of applause (reviews are nice too.) Thanks to MoonGem and No Name LOL for reviewing. We all appreciate reviews so much, so if you read, please, please, please take the time to review if at all possible. Anyways, here you go. Ashley (Moghedien17!)  
  
Author's Note: Please remember that /.../ means phonetic sounds. Also the song is from one of the Disney Princess movies. I think it's from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Enjoy. Randi.  
  
"These are our quarters, Miss Terlan." Severus opened the portrait and let the two girls enter his chambers before himself. "Get your book bag, Emmilen, and we will show your cousin to her quarters on the way to my office."  
  
"Can Missy come to school with me, Uncle Sev'rus? Please?"  
  
Severus saw the hope in the child's eyes, but Miss Terlan was still very much an unknown quantity to him. True, the two baby-sitters were good young ladies to have around his niece, but the very fact that they had been hand-picked seemed to show that not all seventeen-years-olds were like them. His niece's education was too important to mess with. Besides, he neither liked nor permitted interruptions or distractions in his classes.  
  
"No, Emmilen. Not tonight. Now go and get your bag immediately."  
  
"Aw, Uncle Sev'rus. Please!"  
  
'And so here it begins,' thought Severus, deciding that here is where it would also end. He certainly had had enough experience at handling disobedient children. Still, these girls were family and therefore required certain courtesies of which the normal student body was undeserving. Most students attempting to backtalk him would have been blasted where they stood, but this was Kolus's child after all. She deserved a bit of privacy. Excusing himself to Missy before grabbing his niece's arm, he dragged the little girl to the first place that suggested itself to him, the potions cupboard. Stepping inside with the child still in tow, he closed and locked the door with his wand before casting a silencing charm on the room. There was always dim illumination when anyone entered, but he raised the level of lighting to near normal. Only then, satisfied that the requirements of family had been met, did he turn his attention to the girl beside him.  
  
"Emmilen, that tone and behavior are not acceptable. When I tell you 'no,' I do it for a reason. I am your guardian, and you must trust that I only want what's best for you. When I say 'no,' you will accept it without complaint or whining. Do you understand that?"  
  
"No, Uncle Sev'rus."  
  
"It means when you ask me something and I say 'no' the conversation is finished. You must never tell me 'Aw, Uncle Sev'rus, please!' again. You ask me something. I say, 'no.' You say, 'Yes, sir.' And that is the end of it. Now do you understand?"  
  
"Yes, Uncle Sev'rus."  
  
Good. Now your punishment is to have detention. You will spend your playtime tonight sweeping out this cupboard for me. When you are finished, if there is any time left before bed, you will come and sit quietly in the corner of my office."  
  
"Yes, Uncle Sev'rus. I'm sorry."  
  
"Well, see that it doesn't happen again. Next time you will be switched."  
  
Emmilen suddenly seemed near panic. "Switched for what, Uncle Sev'rus? I don't wants to leave you—not even to be switched for a kitty!" Her lower jaw jutted out, trembling.  
  
"For a kitten? How did a kitten enter this conversation?" Snape couldn't decide if he were more annoyed or amused by this seeming change of topic.  
  
"'Cause I think a kitty would like living with you, Uncle Sev'rus. But I know I like living with you more than the kitty would. I won't do that bad thing again. You can keep me, can't you?"  
  
The Potions Master looked truly shocked then. "Keep you? Oh, Merlin, Child, of course I'll keep you! I'm your guardian. That means I get to look after you and teach you." He conjured a long thin branch. "This is a switch. If you refuse to accept my answer again, I shall hit the back of your legs with it. The feeling is—most unpleasant. You would not like it; trust me."  
  
"What does it feel like though, Uncle Sev'rus?" asked Emmilen curiously.  
  
After a moment's thought, Severus turned the girl around and applied the switch to her thighs.  
  
"Ow!" cried Emmilen. "I don't like that, Uncle Sev'rus."  
  
"I know. And, if I were really switching you, it would sting a lot more sharply and I'd do it more than one time. You do not want me to have to switch you, Emmilen. So remember from now on that when I say 'no,' I mean it."  
  
"Yes, Uncle Sev'rus."  
  
Banishing the switch, the Potions Master aimed his wand at the door. It opened, and Missy fell into the room, landing on the hard stone floor, hip and elbow first.  
  
"Emmilen," she demanded. "Are you all right? Did he hurt you?"  
  
"I'm fine," giggled the child, thinking her cousin was playing the clown by falling through the door. "That was funny, Missy. Can you do it again? Please?"  
  
"No," replied Snape firmly. "No one eavesdrops on me with impunity. She shall not do that again, ever." Although he spoke to Emmilen, his eyes bored into the teen's.  
  
"Yes, sir," replied Emmilen immediately, albeit a little sadly.  
  
"Good girl," praised her uncle, turning to her, glad of the opportunity to so quickly reinforce the lesson. "Now hurry and get your book bag."  
  
"OK, Uncle Sev'rus,"  
  
After the child had gone, Severus turned back to the teen still seated in a rather disheveled manner upon the floor. "Emmilen's bedtime is at 9 PM. I shall expect to see you back here at 9:30. There are some rules you need to learn to obey." His sneer was firmly in place.  
  
"You can't scare me like some little kid. I'm of age now."  
  
Snape responded with his best send-them-running-for-the-hills glare. "We shall see about that at 9:30, shan't we?"  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
After dropping an extremely pouty-looking Missy off at her quarters and making sure that the house elves had indeed brought all her baggage, Severus and Emmilen went on to Snape's office. Emmilen set her book bag on the floor while Severus drew the lesson parchment from his desk drawer. Then, looking at the empty space before Emmilen, he explained, "Every night when you come to school, you shall immediately place your completed homework before you. Where is your homework, Emmilen?"  
  
"Right here, Uncle Sev'rus." The child dived for her book bag and came up with the previous night's parchment, which now had a slightly tattered appearance.  
  
"Very good. Place it here before you." The Potions Master reached out to tap the desk in front of the child.  
  
Eyes widening with awe, Emmilen put down the parchment and smoothed it out with her hands.  
  
"Yes," nodded Snape. "Now I put the night's lesson here and then you recite your homework to me." He had decided on this procedure after reading in the lesson book how some small children relish consistency and how knowing what will happen next gives them a feeling of empowerment. He certainly wanted Kolus's child to feel empowered. She was a Snape, after all. It seemed to be working too. Emmilen's wide eyes held that almost reverent look he'd seen in them the night before.  
  
"How do I recite homework, Uncle Sev'rus?"  
  
"Well," responded Snape. "You recite different types of homework in different ways. I shall teach you how to recite each type when you need it. You recite your Reading homework by reading me the parchment. You may begin now."  
  
"OK, Uncle Sev'rus," she agreed, excitement sparkling in her eyes. "/t/,/a/,/n/, tan, /a/,/n/,/t/, ant, tan ant." She glanced up proudly.  
  
'The book says to show support and enthusiasm,' Snape reminded himself as he nodded at the child. 'But, Merlin help us, I hope she does more than three sounds tonight!'  
  
"Good," he announced. "Now I'm going to write down two other words that use these sounds and I want to see if you can read them to me as well."  
  
"OK, Uncle Sev'rus!"  
  
Snape took a scrap of parchment and wrote 'an at' on it before handing it to the girl. She stood staring at it in silence for several long minutes. Finally, she said, "/a/,/n/. That's like the end of 'tan.'"  
  
"It is," agreed her uncle. "So what word is it then?"  
  
"/a/,/n/," muttered Emmilen to herself. "/a/,/n/. /a/,/n/. /an/." She drew in a sharp breath. "/an/, /an/. An! It says, 'an,' like 'an owl' or 'an apple' or 'an elf.' Am I right, Uncle Sev'rus? Am I? Am I? Am I?" she was jumping up and down in excitement before his desk.  
  
"Yes," agreed Snape, unable to restrain his smile at the sight of her excited face. "you are right, Emmilen."  
  
"Now for the next word," she said, settling down again. "/a/,/t/. /a/,/t/..." she went on like that for some moments. Finally, she got the sounds blended. "at! Like 'I am at school right now.' That says 'at'!"  
  
"Very good!" praised Snape. "You just took the first big step in your education. You read your first words without any help. This is a very important day for you, Emmilen."  
  
"Too bad Missy couldn't be here," murmured the girl. Then a look of horror crossed her face as she realized what she'd just said aloud. "I—I'm sorry, Uncle Sev'rus. I knew you'd said 'no.'"  
  
Snape stared at her in silence, but inside he was cursing loudly. His niece, Kolus's daughter, was looking at him with the same expression as the first-years—the Hufflepuff first-years no less. Meina would be horrified, he knew, to see that expression on her child's face. And he had no idea how to undo it. He'd never tried to change the expression on the Hufflepuff first-years after all. Quite the opposite, in fact.  
  
Acting solely on some impulse that he hadn't known he'd possessed, he pushed back his desk chair and motioned to the girl. "Come here, Emmilen," he requested gently.  
  
She came trembling and, before he could move, had bent herself across his legs. Grabbing the hem of his robe in both hands, she said, "I won't put my hands in the way, Uncle Sev'rus. Gwandma didn't like it."  
  
Pulling her up and onto his lap, Snape wrapped his arms around her, memories of his own childhood flashing through his mind. Hands that rained blows all over his body. Fists that punched and socked until they'd broken both skin and bone. Kolus would have had the same memories, though Severus had tried to protect his little brother from the most abusive actions. He knew his niece had not experienced abuse from her grandmother, but his own memories were too painful for him to ever spank the child.  
  
"Emmilen, the only time I will hit you with my hand is if you are doing something dangerous and I need you to stop it immediately." He held the girl until her trembling eased up. Then he turned her on his lap, so that she was facing him. "If you deliberately disobey me, you will be switched. We will go off alone somewhere for that. If you disobey me at a time when we cannot go off alone or if your actions have made me too angry to switch you safely, then I will point my finger at you, thusly, and say, 'Switch.' That means that, while I am not punishing you immediately, I will punish you soon. Understand?"  
  
"Yes, Uncle Sev'rus."  
  
"Good. You are allowed to wish things, Emmilen, and I know that you did not mean to disrespect me by saying that. It is okay. I'm not going to punish you. Suppose we were to learn some new sounds and then write a story for you to read to Missy tomorrow?"  
  
OK, Uncle Sev'rus," crowed Emmilen, her face transforming itself by a joyous expression as she graced him with her biggest grin.  
  
So, still holding Emmilen on his lap, Snape taught her three new sounds: /r/,/e/,/m/. 'We're doing an additional activity tonight, so three sounds are sufficient now,' he decided. Then he wrote out a list of words for her to read:  
  
tan at am man mat men met ant an net ran rat ten rent  
  
After she had read from 'tan' through 'ten,' she paused.  
  
"Ah, yes," said Severus. "That is the big question. Are you ready for four-letter words? Just sound it out as you did the others. Go on and try it."  
  
"Yes, sir, Uncle Sev'rus. /r/,/e/,/n/,/tre/,/n/,/tren/,/t/." She repeated the last grouping several times before starting to laugh delightedly. "It says 'rent'. Gwandma had trouble paying the rent, but we always managed."  
  
Severus felt a twinge of guilt at that last statement. If he hadn't made such a mess of his life, his little brother would have trusted him like when they were children. Then he would have been available to help the family through their crisis. Instead, the care of the child had been saddled on the back of an elderly woman, probably with only a small pension to live on. What privations had they known? What was Meina's mother's situation now? He would have to ask Albus how to contact the woman. It would not be right, after all, for Snape Manor to stand empty most of the year while Emmilen's grandmother struggled to pay rent. Besides, the house elves would love to have someone in residence to serve. They always seemed nauseatingly delighted when he returned to the house each August."  
  
"Excellent work, Emmilen. Shall we write the story now?"  
  
"Yes, please, Uncle Sev'rus!" The child bounced delightedly on his knee. "She'll be surprised, won't she?"  
  
"I daresay she will be."  
  
So they wrote the story, then Snape taught Emmilen the two words she had not yet learned. "this letter, when it stands alone, says its name," he paraphrased some script that he had read in the teacher's book. "It is an 'I' and it says /I/. This letter is an 'A,' but when it stands alone, it says /uh/. Now you read these two words for me."  
  
"OK, Uncle Sev'rus. I A."  
  
"Good. Now read the story."  
  
Emmilen squirmed deeper into his lap, holding the parchment almost reverently. "I am an ant. I met a man. I met a tan rat. I am an ant."  
  
She and Severus grinned at each other. "That was excellent, Emmilen," he praised her.  
  
"I know, Uncle Sev'rus. Can I do it again?"  
  
"Yes. You can and you may."  
  
They'd read the story three more times when a knock sounded on the door. Figuring it was either Albus or Missy, Snape called, "Come in!" He was rather surprised, therefore, when Harry Potter entered the office and stared at the cuddling duo with wide, disbelieving eyes.  
  
Mentally cursing about how fast this story would get around, Severus leveled his most deadly glare at The-Boy-Who-Lived. "What do you want, Potter?" he snarled.  
  
"Er. The headmaster sent me with this note, sir. I'm sorry to interrupt."  
  
Ignoring the apology, Snape extended his hand. "Let's see it, Potter."  
  
Coming only close enough to pass the envelope into the Potion Master's outstretched hand, Harry tried to look away. However, the child's frank gaze held his eyes.  
  
"Is your name Potter?" asked the girl. "My name is Emmilen Snape. Uncle Sev'rus is teaching me school. I just read my first story. Do you want me to read it to you?"  
  
"Er. OK. Thanks." Harry was fascinated. 'Uncle Sev'rus'? He couldn't begin to imagine what would happen if he'd ever called Uncle Vernon 'Uncle Ve'on'. He couldn't imagine ever sitting in his uncle's lap. And he definitely couldn't imagine Uncle Vernon teaching him to read!  
  
When Emmilen had finished the short tale, Harry smiled at her. "That's really good. I'm glad you read it to me. Thanks again."  
  
"Is this my homework, Uncle Sev'rus?" the girl asked, picking up a parchment off the desk.  
  
"Yes," said Severus. "Put it and your story into your book bag and take it to your room before you sweep out the cupboard. The broom you can use is in the corner of the cupboard."  
  
"OK, Uncle Sev'rus." Smiling up at Harry, she announced, "I have detention now."  
  
"Oh," said Harry. His 'I'm sorry' fell a bit flat, however, as he noticed the smile was still on the girl's face.  
  
Emmilen graced him with a puzzled frown then. "Why?'  
  
With an embarrassed smile, Harry shrugged. "I dunno."  
  
After tilting her head in a quizzical manner and studying his face, Emmilen smiled again. "That's OK. Bye, Potter. Bye, Uncle Sev'rus." Picking up her book bag, she struggled toward the door.  
  
"Emmilen," the Potions Master called after her. "His name is Harry."  
  
"Oh, I didn't know, Uncle Sev'rus." Glancing up as Harry passed her to hold open the door, she smiled up at him. "Thank you, Harry. Bye."  
  
"Bye." Harry responded, before most reluctantly turning back and shutting himself in the office with the now-livid-looking professor.  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
"ALBUS DUMBLEDORE!" Snape roared into the flames.  
  
The elderly wizard's head appeared in the fire. "You wished to speak with me, Severus?" he asked calmly.  
  
"Why do I have your Golden Boy standing in my office with a note requesting me to resume Remedial Potion lessons with him this year? I told you at the end of last term that Potter was not welcome in my office or in my face. Yet, here he stands with a note, stating that you sent him. WHY?"  
  
"He is a student, Severus, and you are a teacher. He needs the lessons, and you are the only one who can teach them. Therefore, he stands in your office and in your face to request them once again."  
  
"I told you why the lessons were ended, Headmaster. I will not go through that again."  
  
"And I told you, Severus, you could have deducted points and assigned detentions. There were other ways of handling it. Resume the lessons, and, if there should be any more incidents of that nature, you may deduct points, assign detentions and then refer Harry directly to me, and I shall deal with it as well."  
  
'Oh, I know how you'll deal with it, Albus,' Snape thought sarcastically. 'Just like you always deal with the boy. You're not going to give up, though, so I might as well give in while I can still state my own terms.'  
  
"Fine," the Potions Master spat into the flames, making them sizzle. "If he even dares to breathe over my possessions again, Gryffindor House's hourglass will be cleaned out and will remain empty until I have deducted five hundred points, and Potter will serve nightly detentions for two months. The only times I have available to teach him is Sunday, after breakfast and before dinner, for one hour each time. If he does not practice and show progress, Gryffindor House will lose fifty points that week and he will serve detention all day the following Saturday, practicing in my presence. That is my only offer. The two of you may take it or leave it. I give it only because of the unlearning yesterday, so it is no concern of mine if you decide to leave it."  
  
In the same calm voice, Dumbledore replied, "We'll take it." Harry agreed.  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
Emmilen found the small broom in the corner as her uncle had said. She hummed to herself as she swept and then began to sing a Muggle song her grandma had taught her.  
  
Just whistle while you work And cheerfully together we can tidy up the day. Just hum a merry tune. It won't take long when there's a song To help you set the pace.  
  
And as you sweep a room, Imagine that the broom Is someone that you love until You find you're dancing too!  
  
After several times through the song, Emmilen tried to whistle, but only managed to produce puffs of air and raspberry sounds. It was quite surprising therefore to hear a clear whistle coming from the doorway.  
  
Turning to look, she saw her uncle leaning against the doorjamb, whistling for her. Grinning at him she continued to sing while he whistled.  
  
Stopping when she did, he commented, "I like that song, Emmilen. Where did you learn it?'  
  
"Gwandma taught it to me. We used to sing it as we swept the flat." She finished and swept the dust into the dustpan. "Where is the bin, please, Uncle Sev'rus?"  
  
Snape banished to dust with his wand.  
  
"Wow! That was cool, Uncle Sev'rus. Gwandma didn't know magic stuff like that. We used the dust bin."  
  
"Ah!" said Snape. "Put the things up now and come along. It's bedtime."  
  
After a quick bath, Severus tucked Emmilen in and read her a bedtime story. Then, going back into the living room, he poured himself a small amount of brandy. He was just about to take a sip when a knock sounded on the door. Checking to be sure that Emmilen's door was indeed closed, he called out, "Enter!" and whispered the password to open the portrait guarding the entrance.  
  
Missy came in with a flounce and a smirk closely followed by none other than Albus Dumbledore.  
  
"Headmaster," Snape acknowledged the older man. "I thought we'd finished our discussion in the Floo. If Potter is indeed to continue his Remedial Potions classes, they will have to take place on Sundays this year. It is the only free time I have.  
  
"Quite, but that's not why I'm here. There's been a serious charge made, Severus, and, while I'm not inclined to believe such normally, I feel this warrants an investigation." There was no twinkle in the blue eyes behind the half-moon spectacles this time.  
  
"What charge?" asked Severus in a silky calm tone.  
  
"Child abuse. You understand, of course, why I must look into the matter immediately. It seems there are no witnesses; however, much abuse can occur in private, as you well know."  
  
"Certainly, Headmaster. Conduct a thorough investigation. I demand it." Turning to the teen, he continued, "Please have a seat, Miss Terlan. It seems our discussion must be postponed for a bit. I hope that is no inconvenience to you. Might I offer pumpkin juice or tea?"  
  
"I'm of age and on staff. I'll have what you're having." The girl looked pointedly at the beverage still in his hand.  
  
Severus acquiesced, albeit with a sneer, and went to prepare her a brandy. "Headmaster, something for you?" he asked while still behind the bar.  
  
"Just my usual cocoa, Severus," smiled Dumbledore. "It's unusual for you to drink spirits. I always thought yours were just for show."  
  
"Most are," Snape shrugged. "I don't like alcohol or its effects. However, I've been known to have a fingerful of brandy after a trying day. This has been, if anything, a most trying day, and it appears it is not over yet." He conjured the cocoa and brought it to the elder wizard. "I insist that you examine the child yourself. Might I suggest doing it now, before she falls more deeply asleep?"  
  
"Gives her a potion for that, no doubt," muttered Missy, just loudly enough to be heard.  
  
Raising a hand, Dumbledore graced her with one of his sternest glances. "There will be none of that, Miss Terlan. You are to remain quiet and keep yourself as much out of my conversation as possible without duly upsetting the child." He turned the expression on Severus. "Both of you."  
  
Snape nodded his head in acquiescence. "Her room." He motioned Albus toward the door.  
  
Emmilen awoke to a feather-light touch. "Mr. Albus. Where's Uncle Sev'rus?" Her chin trembled.  
  
"It's all right, Child. He and Missy are waiting for us in the living room. Let's go and see them now, shall we?"  
  
"OK, Mr. Albus. Is this an emergency? Uncle Sev'rus said that I should always go to him if it were an emergency." They'd reached the living room. "Is this an emergency, Uncle Sev'rus?" the child asked, running to him and snuggling close.  
  
"I guess it is, a bit," replied that individual. "Mr. Albus needs to ask you some questions, and I want you to tell him the truth."  
  
"OK, Uncle Sev'rus," agreed Emmilen. Dumbledore and Missy, however, were both staring silently at him, the headmaster rather sadly and the teen most distrustfully. Snape mentally kicked himself. Of course, that would sound like he was coaching the child. It could even be viewed as a veiled threat. He resolved to say nothing more until the matter had been investigated thoroughly.  
  
"Come here and sit with me, Emmi," said Miss Terlan quickly, opening her arms to the child.  
  
Emmilen ran to her and jumped onto the couch. "We made you a surprise in school tonight! I'll give it to you tomorrow, OK?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she awaited her cousin's reply.  
  
Missy cast a surprised glance at Snape who sat watching the two. He did not respond in any noticeable manner.  
  
"Missy?" queried Emmilen anxiously. "Don't you want the surprise tomorrow?"  
  
The Potion Master responded to that, his expression hardening into a glare any Hogwarts student knew better than to ignore. His eyes bore into the teen's warningly. He could feel Albus Legiliming him, searching to see if he were using his powers on the girl. 'Slim chance of that, Headmaster,' he thought. 'That would be unethical, I know."  
  
"Why don't you show me the surprise now, Monster?" asked Missy. "Why does it have to wait until tomorrow?"  
  
"Uncle Sev'rus?" asked Emmilen.  
  
"Well," Snape stated. "We were doing it tomorrow because I did not think you would see Missy before your bedtime. I did not know then that we'd need to awaken you. Ask Mr. Albus though. He's the one with questions for you."  
  
"Mr. Albus? I'd like you to see it too!"  
  
"Oh!" twinkled the headmaster with a tender smile for the child. "In that case, we'd love to see it now."  
  
The child glanced at Severus, who nodded, then she ran back to her room. In a moment, she'd returned with parchment in hand. "Uncle Sev'rus said I took my first big step in my edu—ed—school tonight. I read my first words without help. So we wrote a story for me to read to you. This is it. Are you ready?"  
  
Missy nodded with the same surprised glance at Snape.  
  
"Are you ready, Mr. Albus?" asked Emmilen excitedly.  
  
"Whenever you are," responded that individual brightly, so she read them the story.  
  
"Wonderful! Wonderful!" applauded the headmaster when she had finished. "Didn't you think that was a very good reading, Missy?"  
  
"Yes, indeed! You're such a smart girl, Monster. I knew it would be easy for you."  
  
"Emmilen is very attentive and tries her best," said Snape in a conversational tone. "That is how she advances so quickly. She made a promise to always do her best work, and she has kept it admirably for these two days of school."  
  
"Fantastic, Emmilen," praised Dumbledore.  
  
Missy just continued to stare at the Potions Master.  
  
"Why don't you come and sit on my lap, Emmilen, and we'll have a little chat," asked Dumbledore then, opening his arms to the child.  
  
The girl went to him, and he pulled her up. She laid her head back against his shoulder heavily and yawned.  
  
"Yes, you're tired, I know," continued the headmaster. "I'll just be a minute or two with my questions, and then you can go back to bed. Now then, you know there are many people in this castle who love you, right, Emmilen?"  
  
"Oh, yes, Mr. Albus. There's Uncle Sev'rus, and you, and Missy, and 'Fessor Minnie, and Miss Melinda, and Miss Krista, and Harry (His name is Potter sometimes too.), and Janet, and Blaise, and..." She went on for some time naming various Slytherin students. "And, oh! Lots more too, I guess." She finished at last.  
  
"Yes! Yes!" exclaimed Dumbledore, eyes twinkling merrily at her. "I'm sure there are lots more too. Well, they all want what's best for you. Someone was worried that you'd been hurt tonight in a bad way, so they asked me to come and check it out."  
  
"I'll bet Uncle Sev'rus asked you," nodded Emmilen, satisfied. "He told me he's my guard—guard rail and that he gets to take care of me. He said he always wants what's best for me." She nodded sagely.  
  
"Yes, well, Emmilen. Tell me. Do you hurt anywhere right now?"  
  
The girl stared at him in silence for several minutes. Finally, she said, "You're old, Mr. Albus, just like my gwandma."  
  
"Yes, I guess I am," chuckled the headmaster, waving off Snape, who had opened his mouth to speak. "It's quite all right, Severus. You told her to tell the truth."  
  
Emmilen nodded. "Mrs. Masterson tolded me it worried Gwandma because she was old. So I didn't tell no more. Worry can make old people sick, you know."  
  
"Sometimes it can," replied Dumbledore in a careful tone, "but sometimes people who love you worry more when they don't know something. I know I would worry more if you hurt and I didn't know it, Child. Will you tell me, please?"  
  
Emmilen looked thoughtful. "Uncle Sev'rus?" she said at last. "Would it worry you more too, like Mr. Albus?"  
  
"Yes, Emmilen. It would definitely worry me more, just like Mr. Albus. I want you to tell me whenever you're in pain, or anything at all is wrong. Do you hurt anywhere now?"  
  
Emmilen nodded. "It always hurts right here, Uncle Sev'rus." She laid a hand under her right jaw. "Gwandma tooked me to the clinic, but they said it was normal. Gwandma didn't think so though. That's why it worried her, Mrs. Masterson said. That and 'cause she is old, you know."  
  
Snape had come to kneel beside Albus' chair. Gently he reached out and fingered the girl's chin, jaw, and throat. It required only a gentle probe to elicit a grimace, which told him exactly where it hurt.  
  
"When Mr. Albus is finished with his questions, I will get you a potion that will take the pain away. Tomorrow morning after breakfast, we will go and see Madam Pomfrey. She is the nurse here. I want her to look at your throat too."  
  
"OK," agreed Emmilen. "Uncle Sev'rus, what's a poh-sun? Is that magic, like the dust bin?"  
  
"A potion, poh-SHUN, is like medicine to make you feel better. That's my job here. I make potions and teach the students how to make potions. So I usually have potions that can help you if you hurt. But you need to tell me you are hurting, so that I will know to give you a potion to help it get better."  
  
"Yes, Uncle Sev'rus. Gwandma wanted to give me good medicine, but the clinic said, 'no.'"  
  
"Grandmother didn't like that clinic much, did she?" asked a voice at Severus' shoulder.  
  
Glancing up, he found Missy standing right behind him, gazing at Emmilen with worried eyes. 'I'm slipping.' He thought. 'How long has it been since anyone has been able to get that close behind me without me knowing it?"  
  
Emmilen frowned. "Gwandma liked it OK, she said. She just wanted to get me some medicine. She said if we were rich, then I'd have the best medicine, and if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride. Are we rich now, Uncle Sev'rus?"  
  
"No, we're not exactly rich, but I can make your medicine myself. I went to a special school to learn how to make all kinds of potions."  
  
"Oh, Gwandma couldn't do that."  
  
"Emmilen?" queried the headmaster. "Do you hurt anyplace else?"  
  
"Oh, no, Mr. Albus!"  
  
"Was anyone mean to you today?"  
  
Emmilen thought hard for a moment. "Well, Janet told me that she wanted to steal my book bag and she laughed. Blaise and Miss Krista both said though how she was only kidding. Then Janet told me that she would never really steal my book bag, no matter how much she liked it, so that was OK."  
  
"Yes, I'm sure it was," Dumbledore smiled.  
  
He appeared ready to continue, but Missy cut him off abruptly. "Did Severus say mean things to you tonight when he dragged you into the cupboard? Did he hurt you then?"  
  
Emmilen's eyes flew to her uncle, who forced himself to look away and appear extremely interested in a painting hanging on the wall across the room. A little hand touched his arm and pulled at his sleeve. "Does she mean you, Uncle Sev'rus?"  
  
"Yes, she means me," he informed the painting.  
  
"Why, Uncle Sev'rus?"  
  
Although Snape had a fairly good idea of what the teen was getting at, it would definitely not be in Emmilen's best interest to explain those suspicions. Instead he talked to the motives behind them.  
  
"Because she loves you and wants to make sure that I'm a good guardian for you, Emmilen."  
  
The words seemed to have cost Snape all he had to speak them. Why, oh! Why had he made so many bad decisions as a young adult? No wonder Missy didn't trust him. Merlin alone knew what she'd heard from Kolus—or indirectly by way of rumors, which always made the news appear at least ten times darker than the reality. And the reality of his past was already dark enough for anyone to distrust him with the care of a young child, especially one who came to him from her Muggle grandparent's home! 'Well," he amended to himself, 'anyone but Albus would distrust me anyway.' He found himself grateful that Dumbledore had somehow managed to have a say in placing the child, so that she ended up in his care. He didn't want to examine too closely exactly when he'd felt this change of heart toward the youngster, but he realized that most of the as-yet-unacknowledged fear residing in the pit of his stomach was fear that the girl would be taken from him.  
  
"Of course you're a good guard rail, Uncle Sev'rus!" scoffed Emmilen. "You said you only want to do what is best for me. Doesn't that make you a good one?" For the second time that evening, she looked panicked. "You said you'd keep me. I don't want to go away!" Throwing her arms about his neck, she pulled his head up against Albus' shoulder while she buried her face in his shoulder, crying.  
  
As both wizards tried to unlace the child's fingers from Snape's robes, Missy spoke up. "Grandmother always said that I'd take care of you when I grew up, Monster. Wouldn't you rather live with me than with some mean, nasty old Death Eater?"  
  
Both men stopped their activity and turned dark looks upon the teen then. Emmilen loosened the hold of her own accord and hiccuped, "I—I guess so, but I'd rather live with Uncle Sev'rus mosted of all. What's a mean, nasty, old Death Eater like, Missy?"  
  
"Your Uncle Sev'rus is a mean nasty old Death Eater."  
  
"Miss Terlan!" Dumbledore began, but stopped himself as Emmilen giggled.  
  
"Oh, then I like Death Eaters a lot, Missy. But why do they have such an icky name?"  
  
"Because they do icky things," muttered Severus, more to himself than anyone else. Gazing into the child's eyes, he stated, "Sometimes, Emmilen, people who are very nice to their families can do icky things to other people who are not in their families. Also sometimes people who do icky things to their families can be very nice to people who are not in their families." To himself he added, 'That is the best cover-up I can offer to my role as Order spy, Albus. Unfortunately to tell the truth now would mean forfeiture of my life if the Dark Lord ever learned of my words, and I must stay alive for Emmilen.  
  
He was really very glad that Dumbledore could not read his mind then. That last thought proved that he had truly gone soft on the girl. 'And why not?' he wondered. 'Doesn't Kolus' daughter deserve that—at the least—from me, her last remaining relative on the Snape side of the family?'  
  
The teen was an entirely different matter however. How had he ever let himself believe, only a moment ago, that she had the child's best interests at heart? Saying what she had was nothing but cruelty to the youngster she professed to love. He had already planned to make clear, in his most snarky fashion, that she was not to come between himself and the child. But believing herself to be a better guardian when she was less than a year past her majority only proved what a true dunderhead he was dealing with. Staff member or no, he would never treat her as anything but a child. Why! She could even be said to have a bigger head than Harry Potter does, though Snape wasn't entirely certain such a thing was actually possible.  
  
"Might we finish up this investigation, please, Headmaster?" he asked in his most sarcastic biting tone. "My niece has a potion to take, then she needs to get some more sleep while it is still night."  
  
Dumbledore, however, for the first time in the almost twenty years the Potions Master had known him, actually seemed not to hear what had been said to him. His entire body was radiating severe displeasure, and his eyes bored into the teen's with a look that could rival Snape's best glare. "Miss Terlan, I realize that, as a student teacher, you might not yet possess the experience to realize the harm your words could cause, but you gave me your promise to remain quiet during my questioning. I will not tolerate such willful disobedience from any of my staff. You are hereby placed on probation. Any further disobedience will result in disciplinary action which could ultimately lead to your dismissal."  
  
"Uncle Sev'rus?" Emmilen had slipped off the headmaster's lap and was tugging on his robes for attention. "What's wrong, Uncle Sev'rus?" She looked scared of Dumbledore's anger, which made the very air seem to crackle like breaking ice despite the warm fire in the hearth.  
  
Sitting cross-legged on the floor beside Dumbledore's chair, Snape pulled the child down onto his lap. "Mr. Albus is just giving Missy detention, that's all," he soothed gently.  
  
"And telling her if she does that wrong thing again she'll get switched on her legs?" Emmilen asked. "Just like you told me tonight?"  
  
"Yes," agreed Snape, holding her close.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Missy," Emmilen said, noticing the tears on her cousin's cheeks. "It will sting more than one time, but Mr. Albus will take you someplace alone for it. If you disobey when he can't take you to be alone, or if he is too angry to be safe, he will point his finger at you and say, "Switch." That means that you're not going to be punished then, but you will be later. Do you know what a switch looks like? I didn't, so Uncle Sev'rus made me one in the cupboard. Mr. Albus will prob'ly make you one if you asked him to, wouldn't you, Mr. Albus?"  
  
Everyone turned to find the headmaster beaming at the child, the twinkle in his eyes once again at full force. "So that's what happened in the cupboard tonight, is it, Emmilen? Normally I won't ask, but tonight I really need to know: Did your uncle hurt you a lot or call you really bad names?"  
  
"Oh, no, Mr. Albus. He did hit me once with the switch when I asked him what it felt like, but that's all. And when I did something bad in school, he didn't even spank me like Gwandma. He said he'd only hit me with his hand if I was being danger'us. And he'd only switch me if I meaned to do something bad. I didn't meaned to be bad in school tonight, so he didn't punish me at all. We just made Missy's surprise."  
  
The elder girl's eyes had been widening throughout this speech. As her small cousin fell silent, she turned her gaze full on the Potions Master. "But you—you're a—a—a..."  
  
"Death Eater?" supplied Severus quietly. "So you've already informed us. But, contrary to very popular public opinion, even some Death Eaters are perfectly capable of loving their children. Emmilen has become for me the daughter I never had, and I promise you now that I will always love and protect her life, even above my own."  
  
"But those—those kind of people go to Azkaban Prison. What would happen to Emmilen if you went to jail?"  
  
Albus started to say something then, but Severus cut him off. They were skating on very thin ice with this young woman and Snape had yet to ascertain where her loyalties lay. If she took it into her head to turn him in to the Dark Lord, his life would end very painfully and Emmilen would once again be orphaned. If she decided to turn him in to the Department of Aurors, not even the Order members in that department could save him from Azkaban, nor would it be safe for either himself or them were they to try to do so. With him imprisoned as a Death Eater, Emmilen's life would become most unpleasant, both in Hogwarts and the wizarding world at large, and she would still be in need of another guardian. This teen before him had no idea how her actions could affect his small niece,. Yet she believed herself to be on a crusade for 'The Right,' making her fanatically dangerous to everyone involved with him. He had to at least try to talk some sense at her, and that immediately.  
  
"It is true that I was a Death Eater before the Dark Lord fell to the infant Potter, but I was later cleared of all charges against me, mostly through the testimony of Professor Dumbledore. It is true that I bear the Dark Mark on my arm." He rolled up his sleeve and showed the Mark as he continued, "All who at any time have sworn allegiance to the Dark Lord bear his mark upon their arm for life. For those who have turned to the Light, it is a shameful daily reminder of the sins they once committed. For those who want nothing more to do with the battle, it is something they must always keep hidden, lest their past become known. Even those who still remain loyal to the dark lord cannot depend on the fact that this mark on the arm of another shows they are of the same mind. To believe that you can judge a person on the basis of a single tattoo is a childish ignorance which is unfortunately all too common in the wizarding world these days." He paused, gauging Missy's reactions as these remarks, especially the last one, sunk in.  
  
"But doesn't, uh, You-Know-Who punish bad Death Eaters by killing them or something?"  
  
The teen was viewing him in fascinated horror; Emmilen was nodding off with her head against his shoulder; and Albus, aside from a slight twinkle, appeared detached from the discussion. So the Quaffle was still in his arm.  
  
"Or something," he muttered sarcastically before continuing. "The Dark Lord has many means of punishment, and there are things far worse than death.  
  
"Is Emmilen in danger with me if I am an active Death Eater? Of course. Aside from the fact that I could be imprisoned, I might also teach her the Dark Arts, training her up, if you will, to follow in my footsteps. Knowing that I have professed loyalty to the Dark Lord at least once in my lifetime, it is very wise of you to worry about the advisability of leaving her with me. It speaks highly of your knowledge and training in DADA.  
  
"Is Emmilen any safer if I have turned from the dark towards the side of Light, as Professor Dumbledore believes I have? Obviously, I would be loathe to train her as a Death Eater, but my life would be in grave danger, either through death or some other means of destruction from the Dark Lord. Once again, she would be left homeless. The Dark Lord might even decide to punish me by hurting Emmilen.  
  
"If I now fight for neither side, what does that mean for Emmilen? She will be viewed with suspicion by some people within the wizarding world because she lives with me and I bear the Dark Mark on my arm. She will be viewed the same way by others because they do not see me actively participating in any of the Dark Lord's activities. Either group could decide to act upon their suspicions at any time.  
  
"Why then indeed was Emmilen placed with me and not you? At the time, Professor Dumbledore did not know of your existence. Had he known, the outcome might have been different. Since Emmilen has already been placed in my care, that is a moot point now. There are many spies in the wizarding world: both for the Light and for the Dark. I assure you both sides already knew of Emmilen's existence when you and Professor Dumbledore found each other. If I believed that Emmilen's safety could be better assured by placing her with you, I would do so in a heartbeat, though it would be one of the most painful things I could imagine for myself and would cause more trauma in her life just as she is getting adjusted to me. I do not, however, believe Emmilen would be safer with you now. I do not believe she would be safer with even the most skillfully-trained auror. Therefore, I shall fight you if you try to have the child removed from my custody. And if you ever disrespect your cousin again, through eavesdropping or any other method, you will learn first-hand why the students in this school call me 'the greasy-haired git.'  
  
"That," Albus Dumbledore added with a very decided twinkle, "is an even worse disciplinary action than any I will take. And believe you me, Missy, that is saying something." 


	9. Chapter Nine

Hi everyone. Here's the next chapter of Emmilen, written by redrosey. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Your reviews are appreciated more then you'll ever believe, well, unless you write and get reviews too. All right, you can read now, well, after another A/N  
  
A/N Hey, redrosy here. Sorry this took so long! This chapter will be in Missy's POV and some of Harry's POV, but I'm pretty sure the next chapter will have Snape in it. So, uhm, please don't be mad. Here it is: Chapter 9!  
  
CHAPTER 9  
  
"I am so sorry ... I mean... I just thought... Can I make this up to you?" Missy asked with an apologetic look in her eyes. Albus Dumbledore had a big smile on his face and a glimmer in his eyes. "Well, Severus?" he asked. Severus just stood there, shocked. No one had apologized to him before, well, at least no one Missy's age. That was a definite point in the girl's favor, but he still would not consider her an equal. She had a long way to go before he'd do that! "I accept your apology but, never, ever assume that I would hurt Emmilen," he said severely. Missy's face took on a cheerful look then. "Done! I promise I will make this up to you." Severus looked at the girl very strangely, as if he'd never seen anyone or anything quite like her before. "Well, Severus, I believe we are done here. Come, Missy, I will escort you to your chambers," Albus said. "OK. Good night," Missy turned to Snape and Emmilen. "Good night, Missy. Good night, Mr. Albus," Emmilen replied, running to give them each a hug. "Good night," Albus smiled, as he and Missy left. Severus got up and went to the cupboard to get some ingredients for a pain- killing potion for Emmilen. He had decided that he would make a slightly different potion from the ones the students took. He wanted to add some special magical herbs that would purge the area and reduce any inflammation. When the potion was finished, Severus ladled some into a goblet and asked, "Emmilen, would you come here?" "Yes, Uncle Sev'rus," Emmilen said. "Drink this," he ordered, giving Emmilen the goblet. "It's a potion to get rid of the pain you have in your throat." "OK," Emmilen said then drank it. "All gone, Uncle Sev'rus." "Good girl! Now go to bed," Severus said. "Yes, Uncle Sev'rus, good night." "Good night," Severus replied, heading for bed himself.  
  
()()()()()()()()()  
  
"Are you ready Emmilen?" Severus asked. "Yes, Uncle Sev'rus," said Emmilen, as they left to go to the Great Hall for breakfast. "Hey! I am glad I caught you guys!" Missy came up behind Severus and Emmilen. "Hi, Missy!" Emmilen crowed, but Severus just glared at the teen. He was still mad about the night before. They entered the Great Hall together. Emmilen pulled Missy to the Slytherin table, and Severus went to sit at the head table.  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()()() Harry's POV  
  
'Who is she?' I wonder as I look at the Slytherin table. "What are you looking at, Harry?" asks Ginny. "Who's that girl sitting next to Snape's niece at the Slytherin table?" "That's Miss Terlan. She is the assistant Defense against the Dark Arts teacher." "Why is she sitting at the Slytherin table? Shouldn't she be at the head table?" I ask, confused. Why would the assistant DADA teacher so obviously side with one House? And Slytherin, no less! Or was she planning to sit at a different House table every meal? Or every morning? That certainly would be a different approach to things! Usually the teachers at the head table try to act like they're ignoring us. I mean, unless we're acting up or something. "Snape's niece is Miss Terlan's cousin. She will tell you this in DADA," Ginny replies, sounding annoyed. Then breakfast is over. Luckily for me, I have DADA first today. I hurry to the classroom and sit down next to Ron and Hermione, anxious to find out more about this newest person from Snape's family. Will she act as, well, evil as he does, or will she be halfway decent to us students? The new woman enters the room and gives us all a bright smile. "Hi, everyone! My name is Miss Terlan, and before you ask, yes, I am related to Professor Snape, though not very closely. His niece, Emmilen Snape, is my cousin. "Now, on to business. I will normally be assisting your regular teacher, Professor Knight. Since she had to leave on an errand today, however, I will be teaching. "I thought, since I am new, we would play a little 'getting-to-know-each- other' game. I am going to throw this ball at a random person. If you catch it, you will say your name, tell me a little about yourself, and then ask me a question," She turns around and throws the ball over her shoulder. Neville catches it and shyly states, "My name is Neville Longbottom. Uhm, I'm not very good at Defense against the Dark Arts. Uhm, where did you go to school?" "I graduated from Hunter Wizarding School," Miss Terlan replies. Neville nods and tosses back the ball. It lands about a foot shy of where she's standing, but Dean picks it up and passes it back. Then she turns around and throws the ball again. Oh no! It's heading straight for me. Do I want to catch it or let someone else have my turn? It's getting closer, and if I don't catch it, the ball will hit me in the face and break either my glasses or my nose. Probably both! That would be just my luck. I'd better catch it. OK. Good catch. I'm now holding the ball in my hand and everyone is looking at me. Does she know about The-Boy-Who-Lived? Will she sneer at me in a very Snape-like way when I state my name? Maybe I could say that I'm Colin Creevy. No! That wouldn't do any good. The other students know my real name, and besides, she'll be here all year, so she'll find out I lied even if no one tells her. Plus, Colin takes DADA classes too. That might get him into trouble, like she'd think we planned it as a prank or something. She can probably see my scar anyway. The whole wizarding world seems to know my scar. I'd better just tell the truth. Oh no! And I'd best do it quickly. She's giving me a very strange look. Would she take House points like Snape does or give out detentions for every little thing like him? Talk, Harry! Open your great flap and say something. "I'm Harry Potter, and I'm the Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. For a question, er, no offense, but you seem young to be teaching," I actually feel myself blushing. I can't believe I just said that to any teacher, let alone one who's in any way related to Snape! That was dumb. Dumb, definitely dumb. Judging by their expressions, my housemates would agree. OK. How many points and how many detentions was that worth? But Miss Terlan doesn't seem angered at all. She just states, "I'm seventeen. You see, at Hunter you start when you're ten. I believe that here you start when you're eleven. So that would be like Hunter students graduating in the sixth form." I toss back the ball with an embarrassed nod. "Thank you, ma'am." 'Yes,' I think as I sink down in my seat. 'Thank you! Thank you so much for not teaching like Professor Snape!"  
  
()()()()() Missy's POV  
  
The game went great! Everyone seemed to love it. I'd just dismissed the class when Professor Dumbledore walked in. "Good day, Miss Terlan." "Hello, Professor, did you want something?" I asked, nervously remembering my probation. Had he been watching the lesson and was now going to tell me off for playing games in class time? He didn't seem to be that stern unless people actually did something wrong. He didn't look stern now either, but then again, I don't know him that well yet. "I wanted to tell you something," he replied. "What is it?" "Remember last night when you said you would make it up to Severus?" he asked. "Yes, and I'm trying to make it up to him. It's pretty hard though. I'd welcome any ideas." Oh! Would I ever welcome ideas for that! I haven't a clue how to begin. With the rest of the family, it's so easy. I just need to apologize, be nice, and try my best to do better. This morning, though, I couldn't believe that glare he gave me. It, well, it made it very easy to understand why people believe that he's a Death Eater. If he hadn't promised me that he would not harm Emmilen, I'd be more scared for her now than I was last night. Can't he see that? I mean, can't he understand that I love Emmilen and I've just been so worried since I heard that she was placed with him. I mean Grandma never really listened to Uncle Kolus' warnings about him. She'd say that you can't call another person evil because you can't see into their heart. She has some strange ideas like that, but she's old and I guess that's why. The headmaster was speaking again. I tuned in to his words in time to hear, "Well, today is Severus' birthday—" That was such exciting news that I actually cut him off. "I can give him a surprise party! Emmilen and I can...Oh! Sorry I cut you off." I apologized. "No need for an apology. I was just going to say what you said," Dumbledore said kindly. "OK...Wow! There is so much to do! I'm going to have to get Emmilen to somehow help me with the party," I finished glumly, because I knew Severus would say no. I mean, after that glare this morning, no one in their right mind would expect him to say yes. Dumbledore had an idea about that too it seemed. "Now, Missy, don't be so glum. I do believe that Severus will have Mr. Potter in detention from eight until nine." I smiled then and said, "We'll need a cake and ice cream." "I'm sure the house elves won't mind taking care of that." "Well, then Emmilen and I will make him a present and put up the decorations. Oh yeah, Professor, would you mind keeping Professor Snape busy until ten? I think we will be done by then," I asked. "I don't mind at all," Dumbledore smiled. "Oh! I almost forgot! You're invited. Bye, sir." "Goodbye," Dumbledore chuckled as I ran out the door, hoping Severus would say yes to me 'watching' Emmilen this evening. 


	10. Chapter Ten

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love this chapter and hope you guys do too! A big huge thanks to RandiWeasley for writing it!!!

Severus Snape was just finishing up after his last class of the day when the Floo call came from Poppy Pomfrey. "I need to see you in my office at your earliest convenience, Severus."

The Potion Master's mind instantly returned to that morning when he'd taken his young niece to see the nurse and have the pain in her throat checked out. Pomfrey had immediately started various tests, which Snape had admittedly found strange for such a simple complaint. "Did the test results come back on the girl?"

"My office, Severus," repeated Poppy, sounding suddenly close to tears.

"I'm coming through now." Dropping the ingredients in his hand back onto the nearest student workbench, Snape passed through the green flames and exited the Floo in Pomfrey's well-ordered office.

"Severus," said Poppy, without preamble, "Emmilen has Amagical Lymphoma. I'm very sorry."

Snape felt as though he had been hit in the gut. "She—she's only five-years-old," he whispered, praying that Poppy was going to yell, 'April Fool' or some such silly thing. Anything that would make this nightmare have a happy ending.

"The disease has no respect for age, Severus," the medi-witch reminded him gently. She guided him to a chair and lightly lowered him into it, but he hardly noticed. Indeed, for five minutes, he sat immobile, taking no notice of his surroundings.

At last he roused himself to ask the necessary questions. "When can her treatments begin?"

"Tomorrow morning." Poppy Pomfrey looked down, studying the smooth wood of her desktop. "Bring the child before breakfast. Bring clothes and toys as well. She will need to remain here for the duration."

Severus nodded, not removing his eyes from the bright blue binding of one of the books residing in the case behind the medi-witch's desk. The title read, in bright gold letters, Medical Treatments for Non-Magical Maladies. "How long will the treatments continue?"

Poppy spread her hands helplessly. "It could be anywhere from several months to several years, Severus. There's just no way of judging how quickly she'll respond."

Months? Years? Snape was not prepared for that. Days, yes; maybe weeks. But the reality the nurse was discussing was too awful to comprehend.

Emotionally numb, Severus gave a non-committal nod and left the office. Wandering dazedly down the first corridor to present itself, he literally walked right into Missy.

"Oh, Severus, good. I was looking for you. I've really not gotten a proper chance to visit with Emmilen yet. I was wondering if you'd let me watch her tonight and we could do something together, just the two of us."

Snape's immediate reaction was to blow her out of the water, but he reconsidered as he remembered Poppy's words. This was the last night either of them would spend alone with Emmilen for a long time. The only fair thing to do was to give in to the request.

"Very well. Pick her up from my office at 8:00. Bedtime is 9:00, strictly enforced."

"She is my cousin after all and—," Missy started to argue, then, realizing what the dark man before her had said, she brightened instantly. "Great! I'll be there. You won't be sorry. You'll see." She fairly skipped away down the corridor.

"I'd best not be, if you value your position," Severus muttered after her.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Entering the Great Hall at dinner, Severus approached where his 'family' sat at the Slytherin table. "Emmilen, I wish for you and Missy to sit with me at the Head Table for dinner this evening."

His young niece smiled up at him. "Okay, Uncle Sev'rus. I read my story to just about everybody and they liked it as much as Harry did!"

"That's good," Snape muttered darkly. "Come along now."

"Yes, Uncle Sev'rus." Picking up her book bag from under the table, Emmilen started to follow her uncle, who suddenly turned back.

"I thought we had agreed that students did not bring their book bags to dinner, Emmilen."

"We did, Uncle Sev'rus, but I thought more people might like to hear my story. It's in my book bag, you know."

Man and girl stared at each other in silence for some moments. Finally Severus spoke. "Bring your book bag and follow me. Missy will wait for us at the Head Table." He led the way from the hall, Emmilen close behind.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Reaching their quarters, Severus gave the password then, entering, stood aside for Emmilen to follow. "Put your book bag in your room then come to me here."

"Yes, Uncle Sev'rus."

Returning to the living area, the child paled at the sight of the switch in her uncle's hand. "I—I'm sorry, Uncle Sev'rus?"

Snape almost gave in then, knowing the painful treatments that would begin the next morning. It suddenly seemed like such a petty thing, just taking a book bag to dinner. However, the more important lesson that rules were meant to be obeyed might mean the girl's life one day. 'Today if it's learned with a few minutes of stinging thighs, it won't need to be learned later with a sentence to Azkaban or a life lost to the Dark side, like mine almost was,' he thought glumly.

"I'm sure you are sorry now, Emmilen. However, I wish you to always obey the rules, so that you do not have to be sorry afterward. To help you remember this, I will switch you when you disobey, and it will sting a lot. Much more terrible things happen to little girls who don't learn to obey. I don't want those terrible things for you. Now come here to me like you were told."

Very reluctantly, the girl crept forward then. Turning her around, Severus let fall a handful of cracks. Emmilen gasped and began to cry. Banishing the switch, Snape stood, waiting out the tears.

Suddenly arms were around his hips and his niece's face was buried in his abdomen. "I really am sorry, Uncle Sev'rus," came a muffled voice from his robes.

"Next time you will obey the rules, Emmilen?"

"Yes, sir, Uncle Sev'rus."

"That is good then." He awkwardly rubbed his hand along the girl's back and patted her shoulder.

Gazing upward at him without releasing her hold, Emmilen gave him a very wet smile. "I love you, Uncle Sev'rus."

"And I love you too, Emmilen," Severus whispered. Then, clearing his throat in embarrassment, he continued in a normal voice, "Go and wash your face, then we'll join Missy for dinner."

"OK, Uncle Sev'rus."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Missy gazed suspiciously at the pair as they joined her at the Head Table, but Emmilen distracted her by bouncing into her seat and announcing, "Uncle Sev'rus says that you want to baby-sit me tonight. Yay!"

"Yes," smiled Missy. "I have several fun things planned for us."

"Yay!" Emmilen bounced again with a huge grin, then Severus served her food and she tucked in with a smile.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

After dinner, Snape took Emmilen to retrieve her book bag then they went to his office where, after reciting her homework perfectly, the girl learned six new sounds.

"Good work, Emmilen," praised her uncle as he wrote out a new homework parchment for her. "Keep this up and you'll be reading any books you want soon."

"Really, Uncle Sev'rus?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes, really, Niece Emmilen," he teased, passing her the parchment. "To prove it, why don't you read me that now?"

"OK, Uncle Sev'rus. /d/. /s/. /l/. /k/. /i/. /o/. Dan dad did den din dim dot don sat Sam sad set sit sin Sid sot sod lad let led lit lid lot cat can cot con cod tad mad Ted Ned red rid nod rod nil tint rend send sent. That's a lot of words, Uncle Sev'rus. I think you're right!"

"Yes, that is a lot of words, Emmilen, and I know I'm right." Sev thought, 'She didn't even need to sound out the four-letter words. She's starting to blend automatically, just like the text said she would.'

A knock sounded on the door then. "Enter."

Harry Potter stepped into the room but froze when he noticed the girl. "I—I'm sorry for interrupting Emmilen's class, Professor. My watch says 8:00 now, sir."

Snape checked his own timepiece. "So does mine, Potter. Miss Terlan is obviously running a little late."

"Er. Yes, sir," mumbled Harry, very glad that he was not Miss Terlan. The professor's expression did not bode well for that individual.

"Guess what, Harry?" crowed Emmilen. "Uncle Sev'rus said if I keep learning to read like I did tonight, I'll be reading any book I want soon. Want to hear my new homework?"

"Sure!" replied Harry after a glance at Snape, so Emmilen read him the parchment.

Missy slipped through the half-open door as Emmilen finished. "I heard you as I was coming down the hall, Monster. Were you reading all those words? That's really good. Isn't she smart, uhm, Harry, isn't it?"

"Yes," answered that individual, very much surprised. He had never needed to introduce himself once in the wizarding world. Now he was introducing himself to this teacher for a second time in the same day. He found, however, that he preferred the normal way this young woman was treating him. "Yes, er, I'm Harry. Harry Potter. And, er, yes, er, Emmilen is very smart. That was great reading, Emmilen. Thank you for sharing it with me."

"You're welcome, Harry."

After a moment's silence, Snape commented dryly, "It is polite to thank someone when they give you a compliment, such as saying that you are very smart, even if they are not speaking to you when they say it, Emmilen."

"OK, Uncle Sev'rus. Thank you, Harry."

"You're welcome, Emmilen." Harry gave her a big smile, truly happy for the girl. This office of his least-liked professor, the greasy git of the dungeons, had more of a family feeling than Privet Drive ever had.

"Well," continued Severus. "Since you've already recited your homework for Potter, you do not need to do so again tonight. Run along and have fun with your cousin. She will be putting you to bed tonight, since I will be otherwise occupied."

"OK, Uncle Sev'rus. Mrs. Masterson put me to bed sometimes when Gwandma had to go out. I'd always kiss Gwandma good night when she left." Emmilen ran around the desk and flung herself at Snape who just managed to spin in his chair and catch her. "Good night, Uncle Sev'rus." Throwing her arms around him, she gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "I love you so much!"

Pulling her onto his lap, Severus glared in Harry's direction, only to find the boy staring at Missy. Quietly then, he hugged Emmilen back and whispered, "I love you too," before setting her down. "Now," he continued in a normal, snarky tone, "you and you, out. Goodbye." He waved at the two girls in an exaggerated fashion, but the sarcasm fell flat when Emmilen started to giggle. "You," he growled at Potter. "Sit! Get out parchment and quill. You will write a three-foot essay detailing exactly why you are wasting my time with this detention. If I find it unsatisfactory, tomorrow's essay will be four feet at least. Understand me, Potter?"

"Yes, sir," said Harry quickly, with a mighty blush. He tripped over his shoe on his way to the chair and sent his book bag flying, spilling contents across the office.

Snape sat watching as both girls scrambled to help him pick up his things. "You have a lot of stuff in your book bag, Potter," said Emmilen in a conversational tone. "He must be very smart too, right, Missy?"

The two teens had been crawling around on the floor, gathering up parchment scraps. They both turned so quickly to stare at the girl that their heads collided painfully with each other. "Oh!" they chorused in unison. "I'm sorry."

Emmilen giggled again, and even Snape was smirking as he drawled, "As fascinating as I might find this scene, it is interfering with my detention." Aiming his wand at the bag, he commanded, "Pack." Instantly, all of Harry's possessions ordered themselves in the book bag. "I trust that in future the two of you will remember the basic concept of magic and not go squirming around on my floor again."

"Yes, sir," Harry mumbled, red-faced, as he scrambled into the seat.

"That was great, Uncle Sev'rus. Will you pack my book bag with your wand too? Please!"

Such an intense look of pain crossed the Potion Master's face then that Harry wondered if he'd been hit with a silent 'Cruciatus.' Forgetting for the moment that this was Snape, the snarkiest man alive, Harry whispered, "Are you all right, sir?"

Severus' thoughts were of losing his niece to the hospital wing the next morning. And he didn't even get to spend her last free evening with her because that dunderhead of a Potter couldn't brew a simple potion without turning his classroom into a disaster area. Of course, he also had that meeting with the headmaster, but that could easily have been postponed until after Emmilen was abed. He was distracted from these musings by a whisper from none other than the ultimate dunce himself. And the boy had the gall to sound like he was actually concerned!

A look of intense hatred greeted Potter's question, and, with a tone of pure venom, the man responded, "Yes! I am all right, Potter! I also don't need your feigned concern to remind me of that fact. Now get started on your essay immediately!"

Missy gave Harry a very sympathetic look. "Do all the other Death Eaters hate you as much as he does?"

Stunned, embarrassed, but still more than a little flattered that the youngest teacher on staff would care so much, Harry replied with the first words that popped into his head. "No, ma'am. The Death Eaters hate me a lot more." At Severus' glare, he elucidated, "The Death Eaters, I mean, who don't know me. They just hate the idea of me because of some stupid prophecy or something."

"You went and broke it in their faces last year so You-Know-Who couldn't get it. That was terribly brave of you, Harry." Missy's eyes were bright with admiration.

'Oh no!' Harry thought. 'She's turning into a fan, as well. And here I thought she'd actually treat me like a normal student. I don't want to handle this now. I don't want to think about causing Sirius' death when I'm stuck in a lousy detention with Snape. But Miss Terlan is looking at me strangely again. And I've got Snape here now too. I'd best say something quickly.' "I—I didn't—I—I mean, it wasn't brave at all. People got hurt and—and..."

"And this is detention," finished Snape. "I already told you two young ladies to leave, so why are you still here?"

"I'm going now, Uncle Sev'rus. I'm sorry."

Emmilen started for the door, but Snape called her back. "I am not angry with you. This is not your fault. You need to stay with Missy, and she is the one who is refusing to leave."

"Mr. Albus will switch your legs, Missy," Emmilen warned then. "He's already given you detention."

The young woman shook herself out of the stupor of admiration then. "Mr. Albus what? Mr. Albus! Oh, no! Come on, Monster! We have a million things to do!" Grabbing the child's hand, the teen dragged her out the door. "See you around, Harry," floated backward from the corridor.

"Bedtime is 9:00," Severus called after them. "Strictly enforced!" No reply was heard. Glancing at his watch, he muttered to himself, "Maybe that girl CAN manage to do a million things in less than forty-five minutes. She can certainly manage to make enough trouble in less than forty-five seconds!"

Harry James Potter was very careful to hide the smirk those whispered words invoked.

His professor closed and locked the door with his wand and cast a Silencing Charm on the room before turning a murderous glare on the boy. "Now, Potter," he spat out. "Let's discuss in great detail exactly what will befall you the next time you endanger my life by hinting that I am anything less than a loyal follower of the Dark Lord."

Harry had no further desire to smirk in the Potion Master's presence that evening.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"A surprise party? For Uncle Sev'rus? Really, Missy?" Emmilen's eyes shone brightly.

"Really, Emmilen. Now, you twist these crepe paper rolls to make decorations while I talk to the house elf about the refreshments."

"What're 'freshments, Missy?"

"Cake, ice cream, punch. Things to eat and drink at the party."

"Oh!" nodded the younger girl. Picking up the crepe rolls, she began to carefully lay them over each other as her cousin had shown. The result was the twirl of bright colors that she remembered from past birthday parties with her grandmother.

The two were occupying the table in the middle of Severus' living room. Missy clapped her hands sharply, and a house-elf wearing a Muggle child's shorts set and mismatched socks appeared before her. Perched atop the elf's head were no less than seven knitted monstrosities, which vaguely resembled caps.

"Professor Dumbledore has promised that Dobby might help Miss Terlan this evening. What is Miss Terlan needing Dobby to do first?"

"Uhm, well," Missy was befuddled by the strange appearance and behavior of this elf, but still it seemed willing enough to serve. "We're giving Professor Snape a surprise party tonight, and we'll need cake, ice cream and punch."

"How many guests will there be, Miss Terlan, ma'am?" inquired Dobby excitedly.

"Uhm, say around a dozen, I think," replied Missy vaguely. "I've invited Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Knight, Vector, and Sinistra. Then there'll be Madams Pomfrey and Pince, Emmilen, Professor Snape, and me. Yes," she concluded happily. "That's exactly twelve."

"Very good, Miss Terlan, ma'am. What flavors of cakes and punch would you like?"

"Uhm, can we get half-chocolate, half-white on the cake and lime punch?"

"With white icing on the chocolate?" cried Emmilen, hopefully.

"With white icing on the chocolate," Missy added then.

"Yes, Miss Terlan, ma'am," squealed Dobby. He raised his hands and a large decorated table appeared with no less than six long sheet cakes, each with its own silver serving knife, and two huge bowls of punch, each with a silver ladle. Dishes, forks, mugs and napkins completed the service.

"What do the cakes say?" Emmilen asked, jumping up and down in excitement, her crepe streamers temporarily forgotten.

"Happy Birthday, Professor Snape," replied Dobby proudly.

"Oh," sighed Emmilen, crestfallen.

"What's wrong, Monster?" asked Missy.

"I wanted a chocolate one with white icing that said 'Happy Birthday, Uncle Sev'rus' in green letters. That's what I wanted, Missy."

"That is what Miss Emmilen shall have then." With a wave of his hand, Dobby changed the lettering on one of the white-iced cakes to read 'Happy Birthday, Uncle Severus.'

"Oh, goody! Thank you, Dobby," crowed Emmilen, returning to her streamers with a satisfied expression.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Meanwhile, in the staff room, a lively discussion was in progress.

"It's truly amazing the way he's changed since the girl's arrival," Minerva McGonagall was commenting. "Merlin knows, that first day when I found her roaming the castle in tears because her 'Uncle Sev'rus' had left her, I thought we were all in for a rough time of it. But he's fairly decent with the child now, or, considering that it's Severus we're talking about, I should say almost paternal."

"Have you noticed how rapidly Gryffindor's points deplete when he has any of your students in class, Minerva? To say nothing of when he actually catches them breaking the rules?" Professor Micasa, the current Muggle Studies teacher, stared at the deputy headmistress in disbelief.

"I'm not claiming that he's any different with the students, Juan, merely that I would never have believed him capable of such care of Emmilen. Wouldn't you agree, Poppy?" McGonagall turned to her long-time friend for support.

"He clearly loves and cares for the girl, and it's also clear that she adores him," the school nurse admitted before burying her face in her mug, ending any further conversation with her.

"I'm wondering how he is going to react to this surprise party though," Minerva confided to her friend after Juan had left for his quarters. "Severus has always been such a private person, and it doesn't strike me that he gets on that well with Miss Terlan."

"What do you think of Missy Terlan, Minerva? It seems strange for Albus to suddenly hire a student teacher for the first time in Hogwarts' history. Then to hire one in mid-term and from America no less. Aren't their educational methods very different from ours?"

"It is strange, and, yes, American teaching methods are very different from ours. My understanding is that Albus hired Missy because she has such a strong bond with Emmilen Snape. I think he was hoping for it to improve Severus' relationship with the child, but it doesn't seem to be helping, or even necessary for that matter."

"It's certainly not necessary," mused Poppy. "But what do you think of young Missy personally?"

"She seems nice enough, polite and a bit on the shy side. I've heard Albus had a bit of trouble with her last night, but then it must be a huge adjustment for the young woman after all. I've had nothing but rave reviews from the students she had in class today. So I would say things are going as well as one can expect."

"Let us hope so at any rate," muttered Pomfrey darkly, thinking of the morrow. The deputy headmistress, distracted by an owl tapping on the glass, appeared not to hear this comment however.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"It is 9:00, Potter. If you've finished the essay, you may leave now," Severus growled.

"Yes, sir, it's done." Harry handed over the parchment quickly, not at all loathe to leave the angry man's presence.

"And you'd best remember my words about watching your tongue, if you know what's good for you."

"Yes, sir, Professor Snape." It would be a long time before Harry forgot that particular tongue-lashing!

Exiting the office, Harry hurried down the corridor and bumped into Missy and Emmilen approaching from the opposite direction.

"I don't want to, Missy," Emmilen was complaining. "Uncle Sev'rus will switch my legs, and I don't want him to do that!"

"He won't switch you, Monster. I won't let him," promised that individual fiercely. "Hi, Harry—"

She broke off suddenly as the office door behind him opened and a livid Severus Snape emerged. "I thought I heard a young voice out here whose owner should be in her bed."

"She tried to go to bed, but I stopped her," said Missy bravely.

"So I gathered from what I heard. Why?"

"I need her to stay up for another couple of hours. It's a surprise."

"It certainly is," sneered Snape. "I'll tell you something that is not such a surprise, shall I? She goes to bed—NOW!"

Emmilen burst into tears and ran to her uncle's side. He picked her up and rubbed her back soothingly. "I'm not angry with you, Emmilen. Let's get you in bed and I'll read you a story, shall I?"

"OK, Uncle Sev'rus."

"No, you can't go into your quarters now!" cried Missy, throwing herself into his path and inadvertently blocking Harry as well.

"Please, Uncle Sev'rus, don't look at the living room. That's the surprise, you know!"

"Our living room is a surprise, Niece Emmilen? I assure you I've seen it many times before," Severus teased.

"Not like this, Uncle Sev'rus. Is there another way in?"

"No." Snape thought for a moment, surprised at himself for being secretly pleased the child was not already in bed. "When may I see our surprise living room, Niece Emmilen?"

"At 10:00," answered Missy when Emmilen looked at her.

Severus sighed heavily. That was a way to have some time with Emmilen after all tonight. He would not, however, give Miss Terlan the satisfaction of knowing how her impertinence and disrespect for his rules was really helping him. "Very well. Since you were such a good girl about wanting to go to bed on time and since surprise living rooms don't happen to me often, you may stay up with Missy until my meeting with Mr. Albus is finished. Then I shall put you to bed after looking at our surprise living room."

Both girls bestowed their biggest smiles on him then. "Thank you, Uncle Sev'rus." "Yes, thank you so much, Severus."

"Now let me through please, Miss Terlan. I am already tardy." He set Emmilen down as Missy fairly jumped out of his way. Sweeping toward the stairs, black cloaks billowing behind him, Severus appeared not to notice Harry Potter where he had ducked into the shadows upon having his exit blocked.

Emmilen didn't notice the boy either, but Missy noticed, however. "Would you like some cake and punch, Harry? In fact, take a whole cake to share with your friends. We have more than we'll ever use anyway."

So Harry Potter became legend in the Gryffindor Common Room for returning from detention in the dungeons with a sheet cake bearing the words, 'Happy Birthday, Professor Snape.' All the Gryffindors, who personally abhorred the man, agreed that, whatever might be wrong with his social skills, Severus Snape was perfectly capable of getting delicious birthday cakes.

The only student to refuse cake was Ginny Weasley, who gave Harry a very put-out glare before announcing that she was too tired to stay up even for birthday cake. She made her way up the girls' staircase then, ignoring her brother's worried call that she must be sick enough for the hospital wing if she'd refuse their first-ever cake from the greasy Potions git.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Severus," twinkled Dumbledore merrily. "There you are. Come in, my boy, come in and take a seat."

"Please forgive my tardiness, Headmaster. I was...unavoidably detained."

"Of course, of course. Think no more about it, my boy. Now tell me, did you take young Emmilen to Poppy this morning? Was she able to help the child?"

Snape's façade crumpled. Sinking into the nearest chair, he buried his face in his hands as giant sobs wracked his body. Crossing the room in an instant, Albus laid a steadying hand on the younger wizard's shoulder and waited for the tears to abate.

"The test results came back this afternoon," Severus finally managed to gasp out. "The girl has Amagical Lymphoma." Dumbledore mumbled in concern and squeezed the shoulder beneath his hand comfortingly. After several more moments, Snape continued shakily, "Tomorrow morning before breakfast, I move her into the hospital wing for treatments which could continue anywhere from several months to several years. Poppy is unable to narrow the time frame more than that." He continued on to tell the older man about running into Missy, the baby-sitting, and the missed bedtime. "I was actually glad that the girl was not in bed this evening. I wanted time with her tonight myself before treatments start in the morning."

"Of course you did, my boy. Any parent or guardian worth their salt would want the same, I assure you. It is perfectly natural."

"But I want her to learn that rules are to be obeyed. I've told her as much myself. Then I go and break the rule I'd been stressing to them all evening. What kind of a guardian does that, Headmaster?"

"The kind with love, Severus. The kind with love," Dumbledore murmured comfortingly.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Missy and Emmilen, meanwhile, had gotten rid of another sheet cake by delivering it to the Slytherin Common Room. They then called a house elf to deliver a cake apiece to the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Common Rooms. Thus, the entire castle became aware that the greasy git of the dungeons had become another year older that day.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Forty-five minutes later, Severus had splashed cold water on his face in Albus' lavatory and was feeling slightly better for his long cry.

"I just have a little something here to commemorate your day, my boy," Dumbledore beamed, passing over a small wrapped package. "Since it will benefit the both of you, why don't you wait to let Emmilen open it with you? Little girls love to tear apart wrappings, if I remember correctly."

"Thank you, Headmaster. It was not necessary, I assure you, but it is most appreciated."

"Not at all. Merely a token, really," beamed Dumbledore. "Come. I'll walk with you to your quarters and say 'Good night' to Emmilen, if I may."

"You are always welcome to do that, Headmaster."

On the way, they were accosted by a group of scared-looking Hufflepuff first-year girls. "Hap—happy B—b—birthday, Professor Snape, sir. Th—thank you very much for the cake. Here!" Thrusting a parchment roll into Severus' startled hand, they fled down a side corridor as if pursued by dementors.

Albus chuckled as Snape gazed after them in confusion. "You do have a way with Hufflepuffs, don't you, Severus?"

"How did they know today was my birthday? And what was that about a cake?" Opening the parchment, Snape found a handmade birthday card with a calligraphy poem:

'Happy Birthday to you,

'And many more too.

'Best wishes for happiness

'Is what this brings you.'

Each girl had signed her name below.

"That was...thoughtful," commented Severus cautiously. Dumbledore smilingly agreed.

They had not progressed much farther before they were met by a couple of third-year Ravenclaw boys. "Happy birthday, Professor. Thank you for the cake, sir. We all enjoyed it."

"What cake?" demanded Snape, but the boys had already turned through an archway and gave no appearance of having heard the question. Dumbledore was silent.

Two floors down, they were once again accosted, this time by a violently-trembling Neville Longbottom. "P—pro—professor S—s—Snape, s—sir. H—h—I mean, happy b—birth—birthday, sir. Th—thank you for the c—cake you sent with H—harry. It was d—delicious. Th—that's all, sir."

"I did not send a cake with Harry, Mr. Longbottom," replied Severus, though without malice. "What cake does Potter say I sent?"

"Oh, no, sir. Miss Terlan ac—actually sent the cake, but it was your—I mean, it said your name, sir. So we all—"

Raising a hand to silence the boy, Snape closed his eyes and drew several deep breaths before speaking with an enforced calm. "You need say no more, Mr. Longbottom. That name tells me all I need to know about the situation. I thank you for the well-wishes and I am...honored...that you enjoyed my cake."

"Y—yes, sir, Professor. We all did, except Ginny. She was feeling sick, you see, sir, and so didn't think she should take any."

"Thank you, Mr. Longbottom."

"Yes, Professor S—Snape. Professor Dumbledore, sir."

"Mr. Longbottom," nodded Albus with a kindly twinkle. "Have a lemon drop?" Withdrawing a bag from the pocket of his robes, he proffered it to the boy.

"Thank you, sir." Taking a sweet, Neville nodded to the men and made good his escape down the corridor.

"How did that blasted girl find out about my birthday, and why is she serving cake to the entire student body? I've no doubt but that my own House received a cake as well."

"I would hope so, Severus," vouchsafed Dumbledore then.

Continuing on to the dungeons, the duo at last reached the portrait and Severus gave the password. Together they entered the darkened room. "Why aren't the lights coming on?" mumbled Dumbledore.

"Someone is here, many someones in fact," muttered Snape drawing his wand.

Suddenly there was a cry of "Lumos!" and torchlight flared up. "Surprise!" screamed a dozen voices, and then people began singing, "Happy Birthday to you!" Looking around, Severus found the other Heads, various professors, the librarian, the nurse, Missy and Emmilen smiling at him.

"It's a s'prise party, Uncle Sev'rus! Are you very s'prised?" Emmilen ran forward excitedly and grabbed his hand. "Come see the cake I got you from Dobby. He's a house elf, did you know that? I told the color of the letters and everything! It's the one that says 'Happy Birthday, Uncle Sev'rus' in green letters. And Missy got the other cakes and lime punch. We gave one cake to Harry and one cake to Blaise. House elves took a cake to Ravenclaw and a cake to Hufflepuff, but my cake stayed here for you. May I eat some of it with you before I go to bed, Uncle Sev'rus? Please? Oh! I made the decorations too, all by myself. They're called 'streamers.' Did you know that, Uncle Sev'rus? Do you like them a lot?" She was jumping around excitedly and clinging tightly to his hand.

A smile spread across Severus' face as he listened to the child. "Yes, Emmilen. I'm very surprised. You may have cake and punch and more before you have to go to bed tonight, and I like your streamers very much indeed."

"Yay!" crowed Emmilen. "He's s'prised, Missy. And he likes the party as much as we do!"


End file.
